


The Tower

by ieatboyss



Category: Dragon Ball, Tangled (2010)
Genre: Also I suck at tags, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bulma is 18 & Vegeta is 17 when they bang, F/M, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Loss of Virginity, Mating Bond, Vegeta is OOC because he's been locked away so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:06:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 48,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21823387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ieatboyss/pseuds/ieatboyss
Summary: Frieza kidnaps Prince Vegeta and raises him as his own when he's a young boy after discovering he has the ability to heal wounds and cure illnesses. At age 17, Vegeta becomes curious about the outside world and wants to escape the tower he's been kept in for most of his life.He sees an opportunity to finally leave the only home he has ever known when a blue haired thief climbs into his tower the day before his 18th birthday.Disney's Tangled (Rapunzel) / Dragon Ball Crossover**Revised 5/23/2020**
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Comments: 90
Kudos: 116





	1. The Climb

**Author's Note:**

> The story takes place on the planet Vegetasei but there is no space travel. There are different races that inhabit Vegetasei like Humans, Namekians, and of course the Saiyans. 
> 
> There's no KI, no flying, and no Super Saiyan transformation.
> 
> As mentioned in the tags, Vegeta is a bit out of character. He's more clingy. He's been locked in a tower for over a decade with only Frieza and a woman shows up. What do you expect?

_This is the story of how I died, but don't worry! It’s not a sad story I swear! I mean, obviously there’s gonna be some sad stuff but it’s not depressing enough to ruin your day or anything. Overall, it’s actually a pretty fun story and it’s not really even mine. This is a story about a Saiyan boy named Vegeta, and it starts with a plant. I know, I know, a fun story about a boy and a plant? I would have closed the book or the tab by now. Just bear with me.  
  
  
_ _Once upon a time, there was a magical plant that grew from a single drop of moonlight. The plant had the ability to heal people of their injuries or illnesses and restore their youth. Centuries past without anyone discovering it.  
  
  
_ _The Kingdom of Vegetasei was ruled by beloved King Vegeta and Queen Eschalot. The queen was about to give birth to their first child but she got really sick. Like, really sick. They were running out of time to find a cure which is typically when people start to look for a miracle, or in this case, a magical plant.  
  
  
_ _Unbeknownst to anyone, an Acrosian by the name of Frieza wanted to hoard the healing power for himself. He was totally obsessed with immortality. He had been using the Sensu plant to keep himself young for hundreds of years and had no intention of sharing the plant's power. The king’s men discovered the Sensu plant after hearing tales of its power. They dug up the entire plant, roots and all, and took it back to the castle. It healed the queen and shortly after, a healthy baby boy was born. I’ll give you a hint, that baby boy was Vegeta.  
  
_

 _After sneaking into the castle Frieza noticed the boys tail would glow when exposed to moonlight. When he touched his tail the power of the plant flowed through the little boy and into Frieza, making him young again just like the plant had. Knowing he couldn’t risk losing the power by cutting off the boys tail, he stole him and disappeared.  
  
  
_ _The kingdom searched everywhere but couldn’t find the little prince. No one knew that deep in the forest, hidden away in a tower, Frieza raised him as his own. He found his new magic Sensu in the form of a little Saiyan boy, but this time he was determined to keep him hidden.  
  
  
_ _He convinced the little prince that the outside world was a dangerous place full of dangerous people that would steal his power and his tail if he was ever discovered. But the walls couldn’t keep the outside world completely hidden from the boy. Every year on his birthday fireworks were launched and the king and queen projected the image of the great dragon Shenron in the nights sky, hoping that one day their prince would find his way home.  
  
  
_

* * *

It was the day before his 18th birthday and Vegeta was hoping this birthday would be different than all the others. He was hoping his father would finally let him leave his tower. Since he was little he had the ability to heal his father with his tail. Apparently no one else had this ability which made him exceptionally special. Which is why his father had never let him leave the tower. He was told from the time he was little that if anyone found out about his powers they would kidnap him and cut off his tail, among other things. Some of the things his father said could happen to him if he was discovered gave him nightmares for years.  
  
  
As he got older, the fear of the outside world started to dissipate and his curiosity grew. For the most part he was able to accept the fact that he'd live and die in his tower, except on his birthday. Every year on his birthday he would see a large green dragon floating in the sky and thousands of fireworks were set off around it. Since he could remember, all he wanted was to leave his tower and see the dragon and the fireworks up close. Every year on his birthday he pleaded with his father to take him to see the dragon, and every year his father refused after beating him until he was unconscious. This year was his eighteenth birthday, this year he hoped things would be different.   
  
  
His father, Frieza, was not a kind man. Vegeta couldn't remember a time he treated him with anything but cold indifference or disdain. He didn't have any real world experience to compare it to but based off what he read in books, father's didn't treat their children the way he treated Vegeta. When he was little he would cry himself to sleep at night, confused as to why his father was so cruel to him. But he wasn't a little kid anymore, he hadn't been for a while. He no longer longed for his father's attention and affection. He hoped one day soon his father would leave and never come back.  
  
  
Frieza insisted it was too dangerous in the outside world. He insisted he would be maimed or killed if he left his tower. Vegeta wasn’t sure how his strength compared to other people since he had never met anyone else, but he was sure he had to be the strongest person on the planet aside from Frieza. He knew he could take care of himself. All Vegeta did was train in his spare time, train or read. Punching air can only keep you entertained for so long and one can only read the same books so many times before slowly going insane. He was getting restless and was desperately hoping he would finally get to leave his tower for the first time in his life.   
  
  


* * *

“Are you leaving?” Vegeta asked Frieza the morning of his birthday. Frieza had returned in the middle of the night, demanding Vegeta heal him. He decided to stay the night but had no intention of spending more time than necessary with Vegeta.  
  
  
“Yes my little monkey and I won’t be returning for quite a while. I expect you to continue your training.”  
  
  
“Of course. What else would I do with my time?” Vegeta frowned as he crossed his arms across his chest.  
  
  
“Not that I care but is something troubling you?”   
  
  
“Yes actually something is. I’m sure you’re aware tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday.“  
  
  
“Is it?”  
  
  
“Yes, it is.“  
  
  
Vegeta tried his best not to lose his temper knowing if he did it would result in a beating so bad he wouldn’t be able to even think about leaving the tower, much less ask permission to. Although any injuries he received were temporary, it still hurt and left him immobilized and defenseless until nightfall when he could heal himself. Spending his day in bed bleeding and bruised was not something he enjoyed.  
  
  
“I was hoping you’d let me leave the tower. At least for the day.”  
  
  
“No,” Frieza said as he walked to the door.  
  
  
“What? Why the hell not?”  
  
  
“We’ve gone over this Vegeta and quite frankly I grow tired of this conversation. If you leave this tower and are discovered you will lose your powers after you they rip off your tail. You are unique, there is no one else with powers such as yours. Is that what you want? Would you like to be weak like everyone else?”  
  
  
“No of course not. I have been training for years now. I am stronger than every weakling out there. No one would be able to overpower me. If what you say is true and I’m as unique and powerful then there should be no issue.”  
  
  
“I said no.”  
  
  
“Give me one damn-” Frieza struck him hard across the face, busting his lip and silencing him before he could finish his sentence.  
  
  
“I will not repeat myself again monkey. You will stay here and stop this nonsense immediately. If you speak of it again, I will chain you to the wall until you apologize for annoying me. I’m sure you remember how much you enjoyed that the last time we had this conversation. While I personally enjoyed the spectacle I have a feeling it's not something you would like to repeat. If you’d like to avoid that type of punishment again I suggest you shut your mouth and do as you’re told,” Frieza smirked cruelly.  
  
  
“Tch” Vegeta stormed away angrily.  
  
  
He went to the one place in the tower he could completely call his own, his bedroom. His bedroom was the only part of the tower with a window aside for the main living area. When he was little he thought the window in his room was a gift because he could lay in bed and look at the stars. As he got older, he felt like it was more of a cruel punishment. He’d spend every night in his bed alone, wondering what the outside world was like. The older he got the more he disliked his father and the more he realized what a cruel man he truly was.   
  
  
Vegeta spent most of his time alone. Frieza only returned when he wanted to use his powers which was becoming more and more often for some reason. He wasn’t sure what Frieza did in his spare time but he was sure whatever it was, was dangerous. He would return to the tower covered in cuts and bruises, demanding to be healed at all hours of the night. When he was younger he welcomed the company, he was happy his father needed him. Now, he resented him and despised his visits. He disliked being alone but he despised being with his father even more.  
  
  
He heard the door slam closed, followed by the sound of the lock sliding in place, and a chain being wrapped around the outside handle.  
  
  
“FUCK!” he yelled as he punched a hole in the wall and kicked over his dresser.  
  
  
“I’m...I’m fucking sick and tired of these books. I’m sick and tired of doing katas. I’m sick and tired of listening to the same damn music over and over again. I’m tired of being alone,“ he said as he sat on the ground and pulled his knees up to his chest in front of his bedroom window.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
“I want a castle. It would be so damn cool to have my own castle...and subjects...and money. Wouldn’t it be cool to live in a castle?” Bulma said as she carefully hopped from ledge to ledge on the roof of the palace, looking anywhere but down. She wasn't too fond of heights but in this case she was willing to make an exception. She crouched down next to a large glass window directly above the throne room.  
  
  
“Shut the fuck up! You talk too damn much! Let’s hurry up and get this over with. The faster it’s done the sooner we can get away from your noisy ass!” Nappa growled angrily.  
  
  
“Okay okay! Jeesh. You’d think you’d be a little happier considering we’re going to be fucking loaded by the end of the day. How about you Turles? Would _you_ like your own castle?” she asked as she tied a rope tightly around her waist.  
  
  
“What I would like is for you to shut your damn mouth!”   
  
  
“God you guys are the worst. Why did I agree to work with you anyways? I totally could have found someone way friendlier than you guys!”  
  
  
“ _You_ asked _us_ to work with _you_ because you’re too weak to do this on your own and everyone else available is equally as weak as you are,” Nappa said as he wrapped the opposite end of the rope around his arm.  
  
  
“Ouch, but okay I guess you’re somewhat right.”  
  
  
Turles opened the large glass window and held it open for Bulma.   
  
  
“Okay boys, see ya in a minute!” she said as she jumped through the open window.  
  
  
“We’re going to kill her and take the crown right? If I have to listen to her talk for one more minute I’m going to kill you and then myself,” Turles said as he struggled to hold up the very large pane of glass.  
  
  
“What the fuck? Why would you kill me before killing yourself?” Nappa asked as he continued to lower Bulma down into the throne room.  
  
  
“If I kill myself that would leave you with all the money and I obviously can’t let that happen,” Turles said with a smirk.   
  
  
Nappa rolled his eyes and felt two quick tugs on the rope, indicating Bulma was ready to be lifted up. As he started to lift her, they heard yelling coming from below. Turles looked down through the open window and saw dozens of soldiers spilling into the throne room.  
  
  
“Pull me up faster! Faster! Hurry up!” she squealed.  
  
  
Nappa quickly yanked her through the window, threw her over his shoulder, and ran. Once they were off of the castle roof, he set her down and the three of them continued to run. They came to a stop once they reached a very tall locked gate. Bulma easily slid through the bars of the gate but the two Saiyans were much too large to follow her.   
  
  
“Hurry give me the bag! My tools are in it! I can pick the lock on the gate before the guards catch up to us!” she yelled anxiously as the sound of the soldiers approaching grew louder.  
  
  
“How do we know you won’t leave us here?” Turles asked suspiciously as he tried to find a weak point in the gate.  
  
  
“Well your options are get caught with the crown, lose it, and end up in prison. Or give me the crown and hope I keep my word and unlock the gate. One has a guaranteed outcome that you both probably want to avoid don’t you? Bulma said as she looked around nervously, pulling her hood over her head and zipping up her jacket. "Either way I’m not the one that ends up in prison now am I?”  
  
  
Nappa and Turles looked furious as they glanced at each other, both mentally weighing the pros and cons of trusting her.  
  
  
“Fine. Take it and hurry up!” Nappa growled as he slid Bulma’s bag between the bars of the gate.  
  
  
Bulma took the bag from Nappa and smiled. She opened it to ensure the crown was still there and in one piece. She dug around her bag, as if looking for something else.  
  
  
“Oh...oh no!” she said, feigning shock. “My tools are missing! I must have forgotten to pack them this morning,” she snapped her fingers as if cursing herself for her forgetfulness. “Damn, that sucks! Well, it’s been fun guys but those soldiers sound _pissed_ so I’m just gonna go now. Bye!” she said happily as she skipped away from the gates and into the forest.  
  
  
“YOU STUPID BITCH! WE’LL FIND YOU AND WHEN WE DO WE’LL KILL YOU!” Turles yelled. He so angry he was practically foaming at the mouth. Seconds later the palace guards surrounded them and placed them in cuffs.  
  


* * *

  
  
After sprinting through the forest for a few minutes Bulma realized no one was following her and stopped to catch her breath. She was just about to pull out a map and figure out which direction she should take to avoid all the major populated areas of Vegetasei when she heard the guards heading her way and fast. She bolted further into the woods quicker than she ever thought was possible. The adrenaline pumping through her veins boosted her speed and endurance.   
  
  
She threw herself behind a bush that lined part of the mountain side, realizing there was no way to outrun the guards. While hiding behind the bush she felt a small breeze coming from behind her. There was a break in the large rocks that composed the mountain that surrounded the forest. A thin veil of vines covered the space in between the boulders, essentially hiding the small tunnel from anyone that didn’t know it was there.   
  
  
_Perfect. Maybe today isn’t going to be as shitty as I thought._   
  
  
She quickly crawled through the small tunnel and turned around, waiting to see if the passing soldiers noticed her escape route. When she saw the guards passing her hiding spot, she continued crawling through the tunnel until she came to a large clearing hidden in between the mountains. The clearing was large, empty, and depressing. The grass that should have grown there was dead and the skeletons of old trees littered the area. In the center of the clearing was a very large and very creepy looking deserted tower.  
  
  
She could still hear the guards looking for her on the other side of the tunnel. It didn't take her long to decide that the promise of solitude and a good hiding place was worth the risk of falling to her death.  
  
  
 _This is depressing and kind of scary. It looks like a graveyard. Everything here is dead. At least no one will find me here. I’ll hang out until nightfall then sneak out and make my way out of the capital. Easy peasy.  
  
  
_ She quickly made her way to the center of the clearing, eager to get to the top of the tower, and away from the possibility of being captured. She circled the tower a couple of times, mentally planning her approach. After noticing a pattern of stones sticking out throughout the tower, she started to climb. After what felt like hours, she finally made her way to a window at the top of the tower. She threw herself through the window, wiped the sweat from her brow, and took a minute to survey her surroundings.  
  
  
She was sitting in the middle of a living area of sorts. It was supposed to be a living area but it was as dark and as cold as the clearing was. There was very little as far as decorating went but there was a couch, a large bookshelf full of books, and some exercise equipment. Scattered throughout the room were random books and art supplies, as if someone got bored mid-book or mid-project and moved on to something else.  
  
  
“Does someone live here? This is so...depressing,” she said to herself as she walked further into the room. She was about to start snooping through the different cabinets and drawers when she suddenly felt pressure on the back of her neck. A second later everything went black. 

* * *

  
  
“What was that?” Vegeta whispered to himself. He was sitting on the floor staring out his bedroom window when he heard a noise coming from the living area.   
  
  
_Father should not be back yet. It could be another bird but only a very very large bird could have made that noise.  
  
  
_ He quietly made his way to his bedroom door and peeked through the space between the door and the door frame. He could see a person in a black hood walking around the living area, going through his stuff and talking to themselves.  
  
  
“This is so...depressing,” he heard the intruder say.  
  
  
 _Well they’re not wrong. Even if they're right about my existence being useless and depressing. I won’t show them mercy and I won’t let them take my tail.  
  
  
_ When the intruder turned his back to him, he quietly came up from behind him and applied pressure to a specific area on the his neck, rendering him unconscious. When the intruder's body hit the ground, the hood he were wearing fell off of his head. Vegeta's eyes widened and he gasped in shock. The intruder wasn't a man at all. The intruder was a very beautiful petite woman about his age with slightly curled bright blue hair.

  
 _A woman? I’ve never seen a woman before, only in books. Hell I’ve never seen another person before aside for father. She’s...she’s beautiful.  
  
  
_ His mind was racing. So many thoughts were running through his head at once. When the woman didn't move, he knelt down next to her to get a closer look at her face.   
  
  
_She looks Saiyan. I didn’t know Saiyans could have blue hair. I guess I don’t know much about Saiyans in general. She doesn't have a tail though. I hate being so ignorant and naive to everything!  
  
  
_ While kneeling next to her, he tentatively reached his hand out and caressed the woman's cheek with the back of his hand.  
  
  
 _Her skin is so smooth and her hair looks so soft._ _What am I saying? She came to cut off my tail and steal my power! How did she even find me! It doesn’t matter. She won’t be leaving here alive.  
  
  
_ Angry at himself for getting distracted, he hoisted the unconscious woman over his shoulder and grabbed a chair. After tying her to the chair, he picked up her bag and started rifling through it.  
  
  
 _A crown and some tools? Is she a princess? No. If she was a princess she wouldn’t be sneaking into my tower and she wouldn’t be after my powers or my tail._ _This crown looks like it was made for a prince not a princess. In all the books I’ve read the princess always has a very delicate looking crown. This one is definitely not delicate.  
  
  
_ He turned the crown around, examining it closely as he made his way to a mirror. He slowly put the heavy crown on his head, over his flame shaped hair.  
  
  
 _Hmm. I look good in this, like royalty. Maybe in another life I was a prince and not a prisoner isolated from everyone and everything.  
  
_

He sighed sadly and removed the crown before walking back to the woman. She startled him when she let out a small moan as she was waking up. He quickly hid the crown on his bookshelf and walked over to the her.  
  
  
When she opened her eyes, he was momentarily speechless. He thought her hair was unique but her eyes were breathtaking. He didn’t know it was possible for eyes to be that color. Her hair and her eyes were both an intense blue color but her eyelashes were thick, long, and black. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was, at least he couldn’t until she opened her mouth.  
  
  
“What the hell? Why am I tied up? Who the hell are you? Untie me right now!” she yelled.  
  
  
 _Oh my god. Am I dead? Did I die and go to heaven? The Saiyan in front of me is unfairly beautiful. He looks like a damn god! There’s no way he is real. Wait...I’m not in heaven. I wouldn’t be tied up if I was in heaven. Well...I mean bondage is a thing. Maybe it’s some sort of hidden kink I’m into just haven’t realized it yet. I’ve been in this mans presence for five minutes and I’m thinking about bondage. What the fuck is wrong with me? Ugh his eyes are so intense and dark. His bangs are practically begging for me to push them out of his face while I stick my tongue down his throat. Why isn’t he wearing a shirt? Maybe this is hell and I’m actually being punished. I’m tied up and not allowed to touch his perfectly sculpted body. Wait a damn minute. He knocked me unconscious! That asshole!  
  
  
_ “You are not the one asking questions I am!” he growled and narrowed his eyes, taking a step closer to her. “How did you find me? Why do you want my tail? Are you going to sell it or do some sort of scientific experiments on it? I assure you I will not go down without a fight and I am easily the strongest person you will ever meet.”  
  
  
“Your tail? Why the hell would I want your tail? Gross. I mean tails aren’t gross but the thought of chopping someones tail off is," she involuntarily shivered.   
  
  
“You...you don’t want my tail?” he asked suspiciously. The confusion he felt was clear on his face.  
  
  
“No! I don’t!”   
  
  
“Then why are you here?”  
  
  
“I um...I owe some people some money, money that I don’t have. They were chasing me so I ran. I happened to find this place. Thinking it was abandoned, I climbed through the window and had planned to hide out here until the heat died down but you kinda ruined my plans when you knocked me unconscious!” Bulma gave Vegeta the deadliest glare she could muster until the color drained from her face and her eyes began to dart around the room in a panic.  
  
  
“Where's my bag? What did you do with my bag!?” she yelled as her anxiety climbed.  
  
  
“Will you stop your screeching woman!? You’re going to make my ears bleed!”   
  
  
“I’ll stop screeching once you give me my bag back asshole!” she seethed, praying all her hard work wasn’t in vain.  
  
  
“You’re really not in any position to make any demands are you?” he smirked.

  
She momentarily forgot how irritated she was when she saw the cocky look on his face. She couldn’t tell whether or not she wanted to choke him or suck on his thick muscular neck.  
  
  
“I’ve hid your precious bag somewhere you’ll never find. You’re going to do what I say. If you do, I’ll give it back to you,” he said with a shrug while crossing his arms over his chest smugly.   
  
  
“It’s right over there,” she said with a smirk.  
  
  
“What’s over there? He asked confused, uncrossing his arms.  
  
  
“My bag. It’s on your bookshelf. You’ve got to”   
  
  
Vegeta closed the distance between them and pinched the pressure point on the back of her neck again, making her black out once more. He quickly walked over to the bookshelf and grabbed the bag. As he passed the mirror he noticed how pink his cheeks were. “UGH!” he yelled as he paced around the room, trying to find a better place to hide her bag.  
  
  
 _I obviously need to find a better hiding place. That was embarrassing. Where should I put it? Wait. Why does it matter? Even if she managed to untie herself, she wouldn’t be able to freely walk around the room and go through possible hiding places. I’d easily overpower her. She could try to run but if she did I could easily pin her to the floor and straddle her so she couldn’t move. She’d...she’d be between my legs and...god what is wrong with me!  
  
  
_ He groaned as the impure thoughts started to run through his mind. His training pants were getting a little bit tighter than they usually were. He was barely an adult and had never seen a woman before. His body was quickly responding accordingly.   
  
  
_Hide the damn bag and stop thinking about the woman’s soft skin and gorgeous eyes. Dear god. What is she doing to me? She could take me to the dragon! Can I spend an extended amount of time with her without lusting after her? Is it specifically her that I’m attracted to or is it just because she’s a female? Would I feel the same way about a different woman? UGH!  
  
  
_ Glancing back at Bulma, he walked towards one of the large hooks on the wall where the only two jackets he owned were hanging. He took them off of the wall hook and placed the bag on the hook before rehanging his jackets, covering the bag with them.  
  
  
“Ridiculous. I'm going to be eighteen years old and I’ve never met another woman. The only information I have about other species or the opposite sex is from books. How pathetic! I hate Frieza! This is all his fault!” he seethed and mumbled under his breath. He had no idea the woman had woken up and was now feigning unconsciousness so she could observe him without him knowing.  
 _  
  
He’s never met a woman and he’s almost eighteen? How sad. I wonder why? Is he stuck up here? No way. With that body he could easily have climbed down from up here. If I can do it so can he. So why is he up here? Does it have to do with his tail? He thought I wanted it. Why is his tail so special? All Saiyans have tails. Is he going to keep me here forever since I’m a woman? Would he take advantage of me? Well you can’t take advantage of the willing so there’s that. I’m disgusted with myself right now._  
  
  
She slowly opened her eyes like she did the last time but this time it was an act. The boy instantly stood up straight and hid behind a mask of superiority, trying his best to hide the anxious self loathing she just witnessed.  
  
  
“Will you stop doing that!” she snapped.  
  
  
“ _Now_ your bag is hidden somewhere you’ll never be able to find it. At least not without my help,” he crossed his arms and smirked again.  
  
  
“Ok I get it. You’ve got me at your mercy. What do you want hmm? You said the only way I’ll get my bag back is if I do what you say? What do you want me to do to you? I mean," she licked her bottom lip and looked him up and down slowly. “I mean _for_ you,” she added with a wink.  
  
  
Vegeta’s eyes widened and his cheeks instantly turned red. He may not be familiar with women or flirting but he definitely understood what she was implying.  
  
  
“I...I...you," his cheeks turned a darker shade of red, embarrassed by his inability to properly form a sentence. “You vulgar woman!” he finally spit out. “I...I need help. If you help me I’ll give you your bag back. I don’t need you to do anything to...to me,” he felt his cheeks warm up even more. Turning his back to her he tried to take a few deep breaths to compose himself, not wanting her to see how flustered she made him.  
  
  
 _Oh my god he’s adorable. This is going to be so much fun!  
  
  
_ “Okay then. What can I help you with handsome?” she said with a flirtatious smile.  
  
  
Clearing his throat he turned and addressed her, avoiding eye contact when possible. “I want to see the dragon. I don’t know how to get there myself. I’ve never...I’ve never been to that area. Something tells me you know your way around. Take me to see the dragon. I know it will appear tomorrow night. Once I see it you'll bring me back here and I’ll give you back your damn bag."  
  
  
“The dragon? You mean the projection thingy with the fireworks they do every year for the lost Prince?”   
  
  
“I don’t know what it is or why they do it! I just know I’ve seen it every year on my birthday since I can remember and I’m tired of looking at it from this stupid tower. I want to see it up close and you’re the only one that can help me. If you want your damn bag back you’ll do it.”  
  
  
“See the thing is, is that me and the Kingdom of Vegetasei aren’t exactly on the best of terms right now. Which you no doubt figured out. If I’m spotted I’ll more than likely be imprisoned which means I don’t get my bag back and you don’t get to see the dragon either way. So. If I choose not to help you then what? I have no doubt you’re more than capable of killing me but I don't think you want to. So what exactly do you intend to do with me if I don’t help you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, curious to hear what he may try to threaten her with.  
  
  
 _He’s obviously strong and potentially dangerous but considering how flustered he got by the mere suggestion of touching me, I don’t think he’d ever hurt me.  
  
  
_ “If you don’t I’ll...I’ll...well you’ll never find your bag. It’s obviously important to you or you wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to hide from whoever is chasing you. I’d let you go without your bag. Who would you tell? The people you’re running from? I doubt it. I’m assuming whatever is in that bag is stolen. I could care less really. All I care about is seeing the dragon.”  
  
  
 _Fuck he’s got me there. I really don’t have any choice but to help him. I mean, I saw where he hid it. He’s really not very good at hiding stuff. But there’s no way I’d be able to get it without him knocking me out again. It would be even harder to safely climb down the tower. How hard could it be to get him in and out of the capital and back home without getting caught?  
  
  
_ “UGH FUCK FINE!” she yelled. The smile on his face slipped passed his mask of indifference. The prettiest smile she had ever seen spread across his face. Realizing he was standing there smiling like an idiot, he quickly composed himself and got back to business.  
  
  
“We’re burning daylight woman. We need to leave now then," he said as he walked towards the window, as if getting ready to leap out.  
  
  
“Wait! We can leave now but don’t you think you should put on a shirt and real pants? Going out pants, not just very tight and flattering training pants, and shoes. I mean whatever floats your boat. I’m _perfectly_ fine if you want to walk around shirtless. You may be cold though and your feet will definitely hurt after a while. We have a lot of walking ahead of us.”  
  
  
He wasn’t sure whether or not he was blushing because of her comment about his body or because he tried to leave half naked. Either way his cheeks were warm again and he refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing her comments got to him. Without another word he turned to walk to his bedroom to change his clothes.   
  
  
“Wait!” she yelled, stopping him in his tracks.  
  
  
“What is it now woman?”   
  
  
“Can you untie me now please? I agreed to help you, I don’t know where my bag is, and you’re obviously stronger than me. I’m no threat to you and I’m uncomfortable. Please?”  
  
  
She pouted and fluttered her eyelashes at him, hoping he would feel pity for her. He said nothing as he approached her and untied her before turning his back to her and walking into his bedroom to change his clothes. He didn’t have much. It’s not like you really needed clothes when you’re trapped in a tower for eighteen years.   
  
  
_I don’t even have actual clothes. Why is this stressing me out? Just grab something and put it on! We need to leave if we want to make it there in time!  
  
  
_ “Need help?” the woman said as she entered his room, startling him.  
  
  
“I don’t need your help getting dressed!”  
  
  
“I wasn’t offering to dress you or undress you,” she said with a wink. “I have a feeling you don’t get out much. If you want I can pick out something.“ Once again her comment flustered him.  
  
  
 _Is this how it’s going to be the entire time I’m with her? Her saying something vulgar and embarrassing me. I’ve never felt flustered in my life and definitely not as quickly or as often as I have in the short time I’ve been around this woman.  
  
  
_ “Tch. Fine. Whatever.”  
  
  
 _Ugh! Why did I agree? She’s going to see how little I own. What if she laughs at me or worse, pities me?  
  
  
_ She rifled through his few belongings quickly before finding a plain black t-shirt, a pair of worn and ripped jeans, and a pair of old black boots.  
  
  
 _He has nothing. He’s been trapped here, has barely any belongings, and has been isolated from the world. What the hell happened to him and who would do this to someone?  
  
  
_ “Here ya go. I’ll wait in the other room.”  
  
  
“No! Don’t leave!” he yelled then turned away embarrassed.  
  
  
She slowly turned and raised an eyebrow at him, confused by his sudden outburst. “You want me to stay and watch you undress?”  
  
  
“No woman of course not! So vulgar! I just...I don’t trust you to be alone. Just turn you back while I quickly change my clothes.”   
  
  
“Fine fine,” she crossed her arms and turned her back to him, wishing she had eyes on the back of her head, or a mirror. She heard him drop his pants and quickly try to put on the pair of jeans she picked out.  
  
  
“So, what’s your name? We should probably introduce ourselves don’t ya think?” she could hear how flustered he was by how quickly he was trying to dress and by his breathing. He was obvious worried at any moment she may try to sneak a peek. Once she was sure he had pants on, she turned around.  
  
  
“Hey! I didn’t say you could turn around yet!” he said as he tried to quickly pull his shirt on.  
  
  
“Calm down homeboy. I knew you had your pants on already and I’ve already seen you without your shirt on.”  
  
  
She jumped onto his bed and laid down, her hair fanned around her head on his pillow and her arms were relaxed under her head.  
  
  
 _She’s lying on my bed. I have a girl on my bed. Her hair is on my pillow. I wonder if I’ll be able to smell her once she leaves. She smells so nice. Pull yourself together!  
  
  
_ “So you gonna tell me your name or should I keep calling you handsome? I’m fine with it but you don’t seem to be too comfortable with that nickname.”  
  
  
“Vegeta,” he mumbled before clearing his throat. “My name is Vegeta.”  
  
  
“Hmm Vegeta. I like that,” she said as she climbed off the bed and walked up to him.  
  
  
“I’m Bulma. Nice to meet you Vegeta,” she said as she held her hand out for him to shake it. Not familiar with the gesture, he glanced at her hand then back to her face, confused. She sighed and grabbed his hand with hers and shook it up and down.  
  
  
“This is a handshake. You do it when you introduce yourself to someone for the first time,” she said with a smile. She was slightly irritated with his naivety until she reminded herself that he has been isolated from everyone and everything his entire life. She knew he probably wasn't going to know much about anything once they left the tower.  
  
  
He stood in front of her awkwardly shaking her hand for a lot longer than socially acceptable. Too distracted by the warmth and the softness of her skin, he failed to realize he was making things uncomfortable until it was too late. He cleared his throat and took a step away from her.  
  
  
"Let’s go woman. We are running out of time.”


	2. Agoraphobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta realizes he may not be as confident about leaving as he thought he was.
> 
> Bulma realizes he isn't as tough as he seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this that means you didn't think the first chapter sucks. . YAY!

_This is what I’ve been waiting for. This is what I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember. I’m finally going to leave. I finally get to see the dragon so why am I terrified?  
  
_ _  
_Vegeta was trying his best not to show how scared he was now that he was actually going to leave the tower. He wasn’t afraid people were going to outnumber him and take his tail, well only a very small part of him still did. He was afraid of the unknown. He knew what was in the tower. He knew what to expect day in and day out. He would be completely out of his element the moment he climbed out the window. He didn’t like being naive and ignorant which is exactly what was going to happen as soon as he left the only place he’s ever known.  
  
  
Bulma sensed his hesitation the moment he left his bedroom. She could feel his anxiety climb the closer they got to the window. She didn’t know him well, hell she’d only known him for about an hour but she had a pretty good gauge on his personality. He was easily embarrassed over things he didn’t know or understand. He had never stepped foot outside of the creepy tower he was trapped in. He didn’t like being talked down to or treated like he was helpless. Which meant this was going to be a very long trip. It was going to be extremely hard for her to help him through the sensory overload he was about to experience without making him feel bad.   
  
  
She could tell he was trying very hard to put on a brave face of indifference to the entire situation but she could also see uncertainty, anxiety, and the fear of the unknown reflecting back at her when she looked into his eyes.   
  
  
They had been standing silently side by side in front of the open window for a few minutes. Seeing as it was his idea to leave, she assumed he had some sort of plan. Judging by the terrified and clueless look on his face, she was wrong.  
  
  
“Hey...are you okay? Are you sure you want to go?”  
  
  
He cleared his throat before speaking, hoping she couldn’t tell how worried he was.   
  
  
“Of course I’m okay and yes I want to go! That was our agreement wasn’t it! Don’t try and back out now!” he snapped at her with a frown on his face.  
  
  
“Jeez okay okay! I’m not trying to back out! I agreed to help you and I intend to. You just look a little...anxious.”  
  
  
“Well I’m not so spare me your concern.”  
  
  
 _Yep. . this is going to go exactly like I thought it would.  
  
  
_ “Well then, lead the way my fearless leader.”  
  
  
“What?” he croaked, fear blatantly obvious now.  
  
  
“You said you weren’t worried so go ahead and climb down,” she stuck her head out the window and looked straight down as she spoke. She knew how far the drop was but for some insane reason, she decided to look down to remind herself how close to death she was going to be, again.  
  
  
“I...I just climb down?” he asked nervously, looking over the edge of the window like Bulma had.  
  
  
“Unless you have a better idea? I mean that’s how I got up here. Oh! Do you have any rope? That would make this whole thing a _lot_ easier and slightly less terrifying.”  
  
  
"I think so,” he said as he turned around. He opened a small cabinet connected to the wall and dug through it’s contents until he pulled out a large thick rope.  
  
  
“Will this work?” he asked nervously.  
  
  
“Yeah it should. How are you at tying knots?”  
  
  
“I know how to tie nautical knots after reading a book on sailing but I've never actually applied what I read to anything. Why?”  
  
  
“Because you’re going to tie one end of that rope to something extremely sturdy and throw the other end out the window so we can climb down it. You should tie a knot that is strong enough to hold both of us as we climb down. If it’s my time to go it’s my time to go but falling to my death is not my ideal way to go out.”  
  
  
He swallowed slowly, eyes wide with fear and anxiety. “Okay I can do that,” he said with shaky hands. He walked over to one of the structural support beams in the tower, wrapped one end of the rope around it, and began trying to tie a strong knot.  
  
  
 _He is so anxious now that he is out of his element. The strong arrogant boy that threatened me while I was tied up has completely vanished. The scared boy that has no idea how the real world works has taken over.  
  
  
_ She walked over to him and covered his shaky hands with hers. His eyes quickly left the rope in his hand and stared back at her, confused and possibly uncomfortable by their proximity.  
  
  
“Hey, it’s okay. You got this. I guarantee you know more about knots than I do. I trust you. You’re going to tie the most kickass knot in the world. We’re going to safely make our way out of this shit hole, no offense, and we’re gonna get you to the capital in time to see your dragon!” she smiled.  
  
  
The frown on his face never left but she could see his expression slightly soften after hearing her words of encouragement. He looked into her eyes and gave her a quick nod of acknowledgement. After tying one end of the rope around the beam and securing it with a complicated knot, he handed Bulma the other end of the rope to toss out the window. He started to walk back towards her when she walked over to the hook her bag was hanging on and started to remove the jackets covering it. Panicking, Vegeta grabbed her by the arms and roughly pulled her away from the hook.  
  
  
“What the hell Vegeta?”  
  
  
“What are you doing!”  
  
  
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m grabbing your jacket asshole! I told you, you’re probably going to be cold. Maybe not during the day but at night you will be. If you’re going to manhandle me every time I try and do something nice for you--”  
  
  
“No...I’m...sorry,” he mumbled, releasing her and taking a step back.  
  
  
 _Was she really just being polite or was she going for her bag? I am going to need to trust her if I want my plan to work out.  
  
  
_ “Do you want me to go first or do you want to go first?” Bulma asked as she looked out the window again.  
  
  
“I-” he swallowed nervously as he looked back out the window. “I should go first in case the rope isn’t secure. I can fall from a higher distance than you can. Your weak body probably wouldn't be able to handle much of a fall.”  
  
  
“Wow, if you weren’t right I’d be insulted. Well get to it handsome. We need to get going if we’re gonna make it to the capital before tomorrow evening.”  
  
  
“Right. Okay,” he said as he stepped up to the window ledge and looked down.  
  
  
“It’s probably better not to look down”  
  
  
“Then why do you keep looking down?”  
  
  
“I’m a masochist and a glutton for punishment.”   
  
  
He took a hesitant step until the toes of his boots were at the very edge of the windowsill. “Stop being a coward," she heard him mumble to himself as he jumped out of the window.   
  
  
“WAIT!” Bulma yelled as she tried to stop him from jumping but was too late.  
  
  
He let go of the rope as soon as he was close enough to the ground to land without hurting himself. He knelt down on one knee as soon as he planted both feet on the ground and ran his hands through the dirt.   
  
  
_I did it. I actually did it!  
  
  
_ He looked up, expecting the woman to jump out the window like he had but he couldn’t see her in the window at all. He started to panic, thinking she tricked him and was now looking through the tower for her bag. He took a step towards the tower and was about to start climbing back up when he saw her foot hesitantly hanging over the ledge, followed by her other foot, then her body. She slowly shimmied down the rope with a slightly terrified look on her face.  
  
  
“Woman I’m growing old down here! Hurry up!” he yelled with his hands cupped around his mouth, to ensure she could hear him.  
  
  
“Shut up Vegeta! I...I might have a thing about heights," she said, anxiously looking down then closing her eyes.  
  
  
“What? How the hell did you climb the tower if you’re afraid of heights?” he smirked at how slow she was going.  
  
  
“I didn’t say I was afraid! I just don’t like them. My adrenaline was pumping when I climbed the tower. Fear of imprisonment and death by hanging kind of fueled me on.”  
  
  
She was halfway down the tower when she realized she was almost out of rope. Instantly panicking, she froze.  
  
  
“What the hell? Hurry up and jump!” he growled out.  
  
  
“Jump! Are you insane?! I can’t jump from this height! I’d snap my leg or my neck! I’m climbing back up.”   
  
  
“Don’t be an idiot! Let go. I’ll catch you.”  
  
  
“You _are_ insane! There’s no way I’m doing that! You’re out of the tower now. I’m sure you could find away to the dragon without me. How do I know you won’t drop me or let me fall?”   
  
  
He pinched the bridge of his nose, highly annoyed, and impatient before looking back up at her.  
  
  
“You don’t know what I’ll do but what other choice do you have?” He sighed deeply before continuing. “Look woman, we need to trust each other. I don’t know you and you don’t know me but we both have nothing to gain by betraying one another. So trust me and let go. I'll catch you.”  
  
  
She saw the sincerity in his eyes when she looked back down at him. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and let go of the rope.  
  
  
“SHIT!” Vegeta yelled as he dove for he caught her right before she hit the ground. She started laughing once she saw the look on his face after she was safely in his arms.  
  
  
“What the hell is wrong with you! You could have died! You were supposed to give me some sort of warning not just let go!” he said angrily as he held her in his arms.  
  
  
“You said you wouldn’t let me fall and you didn’t,” she said with a smile. They stared at each other, realizing their faces were so close all one of them had to do was lean forward about an inch and close the gap between their lips.  
  
  
“You can put me down now,” she whispered to him, snapping him out of his trance.  
  
  
“Right,” he cleared his throat and hastily set her feet on the ground.  
  
  
“Let’s go,” she said as she grabbed his hand and lead him to the tunnel leading out of the clearing.

* * *

  
“Bardock did you find the thief? Did you find the crown?” the queen asked as she paced the throne room, staring at the empty space the crown previously occupied.   
  
  
“Not yet my queen but we will. My son Kakarot is the best tracker in the Kingdom. He’ll find the thief in no time. We’ll get the crown back. I swear it.”  
  
  
“Good.”  
  


* * *

_Father is going to kill me if he finds out I left. He’s going to beat me until I black out and lock me in the closet so I can’t heal. Maybe I shouldn’t have left. No. Who cares what that asshole thinks. If I make it through this without anyone trying to take my tail or my powers I’ll know he was lying this whole time. I’ll be able to leave and...and what? I would have nowhere to go. No money. No friends. Except Bulma. Is she my friend? Does she consider me a friend? Would she let me go with her?  
  
  
_ Vegeta was snapped out of his internal monologue when he heard a sound coming from a bush, not too far from where they were standing. “What was that?” he asked nervously as he unconsciously took a step closer to Bulma.  
  
  
“What was what?” she asked, uninterested as she kept walking through the forest.  
  
  
“That noise! You didn’t hear it?” he asked as he squinted, trying to see through the thick bush.  
  
  
“I didn’t hear a noise,” she sighed and stopped walking. Vegeta ran into her back, not realizing she had stopped. She started to fall over but he caught her by wrapping his tail around her waist and pulling her closer to him. She wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t want her to get hurt or to make himself feel better.  
  
  
“Vegeta, you need to chill out. I know this is all knew to you and it’s probably overwhelming and a little scary.”  
  
  
He started to open his mouth to argue with her but she raised a hand to stop him.  
  
  
“Yeah yeah I know, you’re not afraid of anything. Whether you want to admit it or not, everyone gets scared sometimes. Trust me when I say if there’s any real danger I’ll let you know. I can take care of myself but sometimes it’s nice to have a big strong handsome man to protect me,” she winked at him and giggled once his cheeks turned red.  
  
  
He frowned at her and looked away once he felt his cheeks heat up. “I just don’t want to have to fight anyone. I mean, I would love nothing more than to test my strength and see if all my training has paid off but I don’t want to waste any time. We are already cutting it close, I assume. The less people we run into the better.”  
  
  
“I couldn’t agree more.”  
  
  
He continued walking, never removing his tail from her waist as they walked side by side through the woods. It was quiet between the two of them for quite a while until the silence started to bother Bulma.  
  
  
“So, the whole tower thing. Why haven’t you ever left?”  
  
  
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he licked his swollen discolored bottom lip as he responded, remembering the force behind the hit he took to the face earlier that morning. Removing his tail from her waist, he quickened his pace to put some space in between them.  
  
  
“Okay then. I guess we’ll spend the next two days in complete silence. That won't be uncomfortable at all.“  
  
  
“Do you ever shut up? If you want to talk so badly why don’t you tell me more about yourself, not that I care. Do you have a home? Do you have a family? Why do you steal for a living?”  
  
  
Her steps faltered at his line of questioning. “That’s none of your business. Sorry I asked any questions. I won’t do it again,” she said angrily as she stared at the ground. Crossing her arms and frowning, she picked up the pace and walked ahead of him.  
  
  
 _UGH why does she irritate me so much. She was just trying to make small talk, to avoid uncomfortable silence. I shouldn’t have snapped at her but I’m not ready to tell her everything about my sad and miserable life.  
  
  
_ They continued to trudge through the woods in silence when she heard his stomach growl loudly. Embarrassed, his hands instantly covered it and looked away from her as if he found the trees closest to him extremely interesting.  
  
  
“Are you hungry?” she asked with a smirk.  
  
  
“No. I’m fine.”  
  
  
“Liar,” she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him in a different direction than the way they had been going.  
  
  
“Woman, where are we going? Shouldn’t we be going straight? Will you stop yanking me around!” he growled at her annoyed without pulling his hand away.  
  
  
“I wouldn’t need to ‘yank’ you around if you would stop questioning me! Shut up and follow me,” she said as she angrily released his hand and continued walking. He mentally kicked himself for irritating her again, silently wishing she would place her hand back in his.  
  
  
“Why don’t you have a tail?” he asked, breaking the silence and startling her.  
  
  
“Because I’m not a Saiyan. I’m a Human.”  
  
  
“Do all humans have your unique coloring?”  
  
  
“Humans and Saiyans look like the same species. You guys have tails, are stronger, faster, and have superior senses to us though. To answer your other question, I’ve never met anyone with the same eye color or hair color as mine. I hate it.”  
  
  
“Why?”  
  
  
“Because it’s an inconvenience. I’m easily recognizable. If I had black hair and dark eyes like you Saiyans do I’d be able to blend in easier.”  
  
  
“I don’t think it’s an inconvenience. It’s not bad being unique,” he mumbled to himself and looked at the ground.  
  
  
“Thank you Vegeta,” she said with a smile. He noticed this time, her cheeks were the one to turn pink.

* * *

They continued to walk in silence until they came upon a dirt road. He could faintly hear laughter and loud voices the further they walked down the road, making him pause.  
  
  
“Where are we going? I hear people talking in that direction,” he said nervously as he gestured in the direction they were headed.  
  
  
“Relax. The noise is coming from a tavern called Kame House. It’s not well known meaning no guards. People are less likely to recognize me, which means the chances of getting turned in are slim. It’s the only place nearby that has food and you obviously need to eat,” she said as she put her hand in his and pulled his arm so he’d start walking again.  
  
  
“Don’t you need to eat?” he asked her as his anxiety started to increase.  
  
  
“I’m used to not eating. I’ve gone days without food but since we’re there I might as well eat.”  
  
  
He frowned at that, not liking the fact that she’s practically starved herself and probably not intentionally. As they approached the door to the tavern, his tail unwrapped from his waist and wrapped around her again. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye to see whether or not he did it intentionally. He looked extremely anxious and uncomfortable.   
  
  
“Hey. It will be fine. Just act normal. Well, maybe don’t be your normal grumpy self. Just try to follow my lead and talk as little as possible, shouldn’t be too hard for you,” she said with a smile and squeezed his hand before letting it go and walking through the tavern door.


	3. Trust Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma runs into an old friend.
> 
> Vegeta's brave when it matters.

He wanted to leave the moment the door opened. The room was much to small for the amount of people that were in it. It was extremely loud and it smelled weird.  
  
  
 _Why has the woman been here before? She may be a thief but she is much too good for this place. It doesn’t look safe at all. Especially for someone as small and weak as she is. I could take most of the men here but if they decided to all attack me at once I would be screwed. They’d be able to over power me and take my tail. Is this a trap? Is that what her plan was all along?  
  
  
_ “Woman, we need to leave. I-I’m uncomfortable. I don’t like this,” he said as he tightened his tail around her waist, looking around nervously.  
  
  
Anxiety was practically oozing out of his pores as they made their way to an empty table in the far corner of the room. Bulma noticed a bunch of flyers and posters pinned to one of the walls, as they walked past it something caught her eye.“Fuckkkkkkk” she mumbled under her breath. Vegeta heard her and turned his head to look at what caused her to pause.   
  


* * *

  
  
**WANTED**   
**  
**Dead or Alive  
  
Bulma Briefs - Thief  
  
Reward will be given to anyone with any information regarding her whereabouts and/or her capture

Blue hair / Blue eyes / small frame / short in stature

* * *

She pulled her hood over her head some more, ensuring her hair was hidden. She frowned while staring at the poorly drawn sketch of her face on the wanted poster. Vegeta placed his hand back in hers and squeezed it.  
  
  
“With your hood on it will be hard to recognize you,” he whispered into her ear.  
  
  
“That’s not what's bothering me,” she whispered back.  
  
  
“Then what is it?”  
  
  
“Look at my nose! And my hair! Does my hair really look like that? Ugh I hope not.”  
  
  
He sighed, shaking his head in exasperation as she continued to pull him towards the empty table in the corner. Once seated, she grabbed a very sticky looking menu from the center of the equally sticky and disgusting table.  
  
  
“This cannot be sanitary. This place is disgusting. I would like to leave immediately,” Vegeta said while looking around the room nervously. He released his tail from her waist and wrapped it around her thigh under the table, startling her.  
  
  
 _I’m don’t think he realizes what it means when you wrap your tail around someone of the opposite sex. If he did he would definitely be blushing. I think he’s more or less clinging to me as if I was the only thing keeping him from completely freaking out which is probably right considering the look on his face.  
  
  
_ She reached under the table and gently pet the fur on his tail to comfort him. She knew how sensitive a Saiyans tail was and she also knew the action could cause several different types of feelings in a Saiyan, depending on how they felt towards the person doing it. He gasped and looked at her as if she just told him he was the king of Vegetasei. She didn’t make eye contact with him as she continued to gently pet his tail. He started leaning into her a bit as he relaxed. The tip of his tail rubbed small circles into her thigh, causing an unexpected reaction out of her.   
  
  
Vegeta started to smell a particularly appetizing scent emanating from the woman his tail was holding onto.  
  
  
“Woman what is that smell? Why do you smell so good?”  
  
  
 _FUCK! Damn is superior sense of smell. Thank god he doesn’t realize what that smell is. I highly doubt he knows his tail is turning me on. Having never been around a girl there’s no way he knows what it smells like when a girl is turned on. Wait. If he can smell it so can any other Saiyan in the room. Shit Shit Shit. Think of anything else. ANYTHING.  
  
  
_ As she was trying to focus on the menu in her hand, a very large man with long hair pulled a chair from the table next to them, turned it around so the back of the chair was leaning against the table, and straddled it. Vegeta tensed up, tightened his tail around her thigh, and growled.   
  
  
"Hey Blue!” Raditz whispered with a huge smile on his face.  
  
  
“Raditz!” she whispered louder than she meant to as she jumped out of her chair and hugged him tightly. Vegeta’s growling increased in volume. Not only was he annoyed at having to remove his tail from her, he was extremely annoyed at the large Saiyan touching the woman.  
  
  
 _I have no right to be angry. I don’t like the way he is touching her. I don’t like how happy she was to see him. . am I . . am I jealous? Is this what it feels like to be jealous? No. I have nothing to be jealous of. I’m obviously superior to this man in every way. Besides, she’s not my woman. She can touch who she pleases. Wait, what if that’s her mate? Saiyans mate for life, at least that’s what the books I’ve read said. Is this her mate? Why didn’t she tell me she was mated? I didn’t give her a chance to. She tried to talk to me and I snapped at her.  
  
  
_ Realizing she was making a scene, she quickly let go of Raditz and sat back down in her chair next to Vegeta. Much to her dismay his tail didn’t wrap around her and he distanced himself from her. She turned her head and frowned at his new found indifference towards her before turning back to Raditz.  
  
  
“Who's the stud?” Raditz asked Bulma as he eyed Vegeta up and down. He palled when he realized the look in his eyes was similar to the look Bulma gave him when she complimented his body.  
  
  
“Knock it off Rad. He’s not from around here. Vegeta this is Raditz. Raditz this is Vegeta.”  
  
  
“The pleasure is all mine,” he said in a low and husky tone as he stuck his hand out, expecting Vegeta to shake it. Vegeta looked at his outstretched hand then back to his face before sneering and turning away.  
  
  
“Strong silent type? I get it,” he said with a wink.  
  
  
“How did you know it was me?” Bulma asked as she pulled her hood down further over her face and glanced around the room nervously.   
  
  
“Chillax. No one here has recognized you. At least if they have they’re pretending not to. I could smell you when you walked in. I doubt anyone else will recognize your scent unless you’ve been seeing someone behind my back,” he said with a smile. Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. She could see his fists clenching under his arms.   
_  
  
Oh my god he’s jealous. Hmm. I’m not going to pass up this opportunity to mess with him.  
  
  
_ “You know I’d never do that to you darlin’” she said with a wink. Vegeta stiffened next to her.  
  
  
"Before I came over here though. I did notice your scent change suddenly," he said with a smirk. The smirk turned into a full blown smile when he saw Bulma blush so hard her entire face practically turned red. The Saiyan giving her the cold shoulder didn't notice the exchange, too busy pouting and staring at the bar. After letting out a small chuckle, Raditz graciously changed the subject.  
  
  
“So. Do I wanna know what you’re wanted for this time?”  
  
  
“Probably not.”  
  
  
“Fair enough. You hungry?”  
  
  
“I’m okay but he should eat.”  
  
  
“Tch. I’m fine. I don’t need you to take care of me.”  
  
  
“Right. Well Blue you should probably eat too. Don’t make me force feed you like I’ve done in the past,” Raditz said as he stood and made his way to the bar.  
  
  
Bulma and Vegeta sat side by side in silence. This time, Vegeta was the one to break the silence.  
  
  
“Your mate is just as vulgar as you are,” he huffed without making eye contact.  
  
  
“First of all, he’s way worse than I am once you get to know him. Secondly, he’s not my mate. I don’t have a mate.”  
  
  
“Oh," he said as he slowly uncrossed his arms. “Then why were you so happy to see him and why were you letting him touch you?” 

  
"He's my friend. Well, somewhat of a friend. I don’t really have friends but if I did, he would be one of them. We use to ’work’ together. I haven’t seen him in a while. It’s nice knowing he’s not dead or in a dungeon somewhere. And I didn’t let him touch me. I hugged him. It’s what you do when you’re happy to see someone or haven’t seen someone in a while. It’s not an intimate act unless you have feelings for the person you’re hugging.”  
  
  
She turned to look at his face once she felt him relax next to her. Raditz chose that moment to sit down at the table with plates full of food and three large glasses of beer.  
  
  
“It’s not the best but it’s-” he stopped mid sentence as Vegeta started shoveling the food into his mouth, barely pausing to chew. When he noticed the two staring at him, he swallowed the food in his mouth slowly.  
  
  
“What!?” he snapped as he took a drink from the beer that was placed in front of him. He made a face and pushed it away. “What is that? That’s disgusting.”  
  
  
Raditz looked at Bulma with a raised eyebrow, as if asking her “Where the hell did you find this guy and what’s his deal?” Bulma just shook her head slightly at Raditz before turning to Vegeta and smiling.   
  
  
He continued to eat but at a much slower pace. Realizing Bulma still wasn’t eating he frowned and slid the plate of food closer to her and gesturing with his chin towards the food. Raditz's eyes widened and he looked at Bulma who just smiled and took a piece of bread from his plate.  
  
  
“Thanks Vegeta,” she said as her cheeks turned pink.  
  
  
 _Why is she blushing? All I did was offer her food. She’s acting as if I complimented her body the way she did to me.  
  
  
_ Although Vegeta had read many many books on pretty much everything, including Saiyan biology and mating rituals, he was completely unaware of the significance of sharing food. It was well known that Saiyans did _not_ share their food. Offering someone of the opposite sex your food was considered a sign of romantic interest. It was typically only done with a potential mate or an established one.   
  
  
As the two continued to eat and chat with Raditz, Vegeta noticed the room grew quiet. Glancing around he saw a group of men approaching the table. He dropped his utensils and stilled, wrapping his tail around Bulma again and tensed, preparing to fight or flee.  
  
  
Raditz slowly turned around to see what had caused Vegeta’s change in mood and froze. “Shit,” he whispered under his breath. Bulma let out a sigh and straightened in her chair as the men stood in front of them.  
  
  
“Hello boys! Is there something you need?” she asked with the biggest fake smile she could muster.  
  
  
“Actually there is,” a tall Namekian said as he pulled one of the wanted posters off the wall.  
  
  
“You look awfully familiar. Have we met before?” a tall man with shaggy black hair and a scar on his face asked with a flirtatious smile.  
  
  
“I don’t think so. I would definitely remember someone as handsome as you,” she said with a wink. Vegeta’s tail tightened around her thigh almost painfully.  
  
  
“That’s weird. You seem to fit the description of the wanted thief Bulma Briefs," a short bald man with markings on his forehead said from behind her.   
  
  
“Ya know I get that a lot! Small world. If you’ll excuse us. Places to be people to see,” she said as the three of them stood up. As she began to stand, the short man behind her pulled off her hood. The moment Vegeta saw the man grab for her, he punched him hard enough to send him flying across the room. Vegeta crouched into a fighting stance with his back to Bulma's and his arms outstretched to shield her. Raditz stood inbetween her and the group of men in front of her.  
  
  
“C’mon guys, we don’t wanna fight. Just pretend like she was never here. No harm no foul. Everyone goes home _alive_ and conscious,” Raditz said through gritted teeth.  
  
  
“We would turn the other way, usually. However, it’s hard to turn down a reward offered by the king and queen themselves.   
  
  
The men surrounded the three and lunged towards them. They were trying to fight off the two Saiyans while simultaneously grabbing Bulma. They made the mistake of thinking she was a weak defenseless female, incapable of fighting back. She grabbed the short bald mans arm from around her waist, twisted it, and flipped him over her shoulder before putting her foot to his throat and pinning him to the floor.   
  
  
Vegeta dodged a punch thrown by the Namekian before elbowing him in the kidney and kneeing him in the face once he dropped to his knees. Raditz wasn’t having as good of luck fighting the other man but he was holding his own. Knowing they were outnumbered, Vegeta panicked and yelled, getting everyone’s attention. Bulma eased her foot off of the bald mans neck and looked towards Vegeta. Swallowing his pride, he made a plea.  
  
  
“I would love nothing more than to beat the shit out of all of you but we don’t have time. I’m trying to get to the capital by tomorrow to see the dragon. This is all a lot to take in and to be honest I’m actually very overwhelmed right now. I've never been this far away from home before and she's helping me. Since I was a kid all I've wanted is to see the damn dragon. I’ve never had the chance and now I do. I’m so fucking close. So close. I refuse to beg but I would...appreciate it...if you would let us go. We are running out of time," Vegeta blurted out quickly.  
  
  
He spoke so fast that if you weren't paying attention when he spoke you wouldn't have been able to understand what he said. Bulma was genuinely shocked at his sincere outburst. She intertwined their fingers and gave his hand a squeeze once she saw how embarrassed he was at his confession.  
  
  
"If I don't get to see those dragon tomorrow night I will track every single one of you down and kill you slowly before crawling back to the hell hole I call home," he said through gritted teeth once no one responded to his previous outburst.  
  
  
“I’m proud of you. You almost went an hour without threatening someone,” she said with a chuckle, trying to ease his discomfort. His cheeks were red and he was breathing heavily and she wasn't sure if it's because he was embarrassed or angry.  
  
  
All the men stood silently still in their fighting stances, ready to fight at a moments notice before the short bald man stepped in front of the group of guys and gestured for them to relax.   
  
  
“I guess, this time, we can look the other way. I’m Krillin, nice to meet you,” he said while stepping closer to Vegeta and extending his hand like Raditz had. Vegeta eyed him suspiciously, intending to scoff at him the way he had at Raditz but Bulma elbowed him in the ribs and gestured with a nod for him to shake his hand. Reluctantly, Vegeta shook his hand before introducing himself.  
  
  
“You’ve got to be kidding me! Do you know how much we’d get for turning her in!” yelled the Namekian.  
  
  
“Calm down bro. Didn’t you hear what the short one said? He’s never left home before and is living out his dream. You have a dream. We all do. Difference is, is he’s ballsy enough to go after his. I’m sure there will be more people equally as wanted by the king and queen that we can turn in. Let’s just turn the other way,” the scar faced man said as he stepped up to the Vegeta, extending his hand.  
  
  
“I’m Yamcha. Nice to meet you guys!” Vegeta didn't like the scar faced man from the moment he spoke to Bulma. He wanted to smack his hand away, especially after the jab at his height but he knew it would make the situation worse. Swallowing his pride once again, he shook the man's hand.  
  
  
Bulma couldn’t contain her laughter anymore. She let out a loud deep laugh and crouched over, holding her stomach while laughing. She looked up at Vegeta and saw the look on his face which only made her laugh harder. He was looking at her as if she was insane.  
  
  
“What the hell is wrong with you woman?”  
  
  
“Sorry sorry. That...that was just the lamest speech I’ve ever heard in my life,” she said in between laughs.  
  
  
Yamcha crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, looking away from the trio.   
  
  
“Sorry. She’s...well just ignore her. Thanks bro,” Raditz said as he shook Yamcha’s hand. They all looked to Piccolo, waiting for him to introduce himself but he didn’t. Krillin just sighed and shook his head.   
  
  
“The friendly Namekian is Piccolo.”  
  
  
Piccolo opened his mouth to tell his friend to fuck off when Roshi, the tavern owner, came running from a back room, panting and sweating.  
  
  
"What’s wrong Roshi?” Krillin asked, concerned by the old man’s behavior.  
  
  
“Palace...guards...coming.” he said in between breaths.  
  
  
“SHIT we have to go!” Bulma yelled as she grabbed Vegeta by the hand and started to run to the back door. Roshi stopped her before they could open it.   
  
  
“Wait! They’re surrounding the place you can’t go that way either!”   
  
  
“Well what the hell? Where are we supposed to go?”  
  
  
“Here” Piccolo said as he held open a hatch in the ground, leading to an underground tunnel. When Bulma was about to lower herself into the tunnel, Raditz stopped her.  
  
  
“Take this,” he said to Vegeta, throwing a large backpack at him. The backpack had a sleeping bag rolled up and attached to the bottom.   
  
  
“Wait what? You’re not going to come with us?”   
  
  
“Pfft no way Blue. They’re after you not me. Besides, _someone_ needs to distract them to give you guys time to escape. I’ll see you soon I promise,” he said as he pulled her into a tight hug, and kissed her on the top of her head. Raditz chuckled when he saw the scowl on Vegeta's face.  
  
  
“I hope you get to see your dragon bro,” Raditz said with a smirk. The scowl on Vegeta’s face softened, but remained. He gave him a small nod of understanding before turning towards the hidden tunnel.  
  
  
“Woman come on!”  
  
  
“Bye Rad,” she said with a small smile. Seconds later the back door and front door of the tavern flew open as guards filed into the tavern. Raditz quickly slammed the door to the tunnel shut, covered it with a barrel, and sat on it.  
  
  
Bardock, the captain of the castle’s royal guard stepped into the tavern, his son Kakarot close behind him.  
  
  
“We have reason to believe the wanted criminal Bulma Briefs is here. In the name of the king, we demand you hand her over immediately. You will be rewarded handsomely for your cooperation. We will be forced to use lethal force if necessary should you try and interfere with our search.”  
  
  
None of the tavern patrons said a word. Most of the people that frequented the tavern were criminals themselves. It was rare for them to turn one another in unless there was a considerable amount of money offered, like there was for Bulma’s capture. However, everyone had heard Vegeta’s confession and no longer had any desire to turn on them.  
  
  
“She’s not here. We haven’t seen her. You’re wasting your time. I mean, _I_ haven’t seen her. Have any of you seen her? If so, speak up. The sooner we rat her out, the sooner these assholes will leave us alone,” Raditz said nonchalantly.   
  
  
Everyone started talking at once and they all were saying they hadn’t seen Bulma or anyone that matches her description. Bardock ignored their lies and motioned for Kakarot to enter the tavern. He slowly walked around the room and examined every corner, as if looking for a clue.   
  
  
He stuck his nose in the air and started to sniff. Raditz started to panic when he saw Kakarot’s nose leading him in his direction. Once directly in front of Raditz, he pointed at the barrel he was sitting on.  
  
  
“Hi! I’m Kakarot. Can you move please?”  
  
  
“What? No!” Raditz said, confused by the man’s friendly demeanor.  
  
  
“Aww c’mon please! I don’t want to have to fight you and I realllly need to see what’s under that barrel. It smells like Bulma. I think she may have gone under there somehow.”   
  
  
“Pfft. Fuck off I’m not moving.”  
  
  
Kakarot sighed and ran his hands over his face. “Okay then. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”  
  
  
“Wait. .what?” Raditz asked right before Kakarot punched him in the face, hard. Raditz's unconscious body slumped over and fell to the ground. Kakarot slid the barrel off of the trap door and opened it. Sticking his head into the tunnel he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.  
  
  
“Hey dad! I think she went down here and she’s not alone. I think she’s with a Saiyan!”

* * *

Frieza had planned on staying away from the tower and Vegeta for as long as possible. The more time he spent with the Saiyan the more he wanted to kill him. He knew he’d lose his power if he did kill him so he opted to keep away from him unless necessary.  
  
  
His plan would have worked had he not got into a fight with a Namekian that refused to help him. He easily killed him but before he died he put up quite the fight. He had a black eye which was swollen almost completely shut. Not to mention the broken ribs he was sure he had. As it got closer to nightfall, he made his way back to the tower. He had intended to demand Vegeta heal him before leaving again and this time, staying away for even longer.  
  
  
As he made his way into the clearing he froze. He wasn’t sure whether it was from panic or rage, but it froze him to his spot nonetheless. He quickly ran to the tower once he saw the rope hanging from the window and swaying in the wind against the side of the tower. Unlocking the door, he ran inside and checked every room. His worst fears were confirmed, the monkey prince had finally grew a pair and escaped.   
  
  
He made his way to the window and noticed there was something behind the remaining jacket hanging on the wall hook. He removed the bag from the hook and looked into it. He hesitantly pulled out the crown and gasped, dropping it to the ground. He knew right then that it wasn’t simply a matter of escaping and running away. Vegeta left for a reason and he didn’t leave alone.  
  
  
Based on the fact that his birthday was the next day, he knew exactly where he was headed. The only thing keeping his anger from boiling over was the fact that the stupid monkey still had no idea he was the lost prince.  
  
  
Frieza grabbed the bag and made his way out of the tower. Humming happily as he made his way out of the clearing, thinking about the beating Vegeta would be receiving by his hands once he found him.  
  
  


* * *

“This isn’t creepy at all,“ Bulma mumbled to herself as they made their way through the dark damp tunnel. “I wonder how far this goes and where exactly it leads to.”  
  
  
“You don’t think...you don’t think this is a trap do you? What if we get to the other end and there’s palace guards waiting for us?” Vegeta asked suspiciously as he looked behind him to see if anyone was following them.  
  
  
“Raditz wouldn’t do that. I’ve known him a while. He’s ‘vulgar’, he’s a flirt, rude, and a bit of an asshole, but he’s not _that_ big of an asshole. If he wasn’t genuinely trying to help us he wouldn’t have given us his bag and he wouldn’t have tried to fight the other guys in the tavern.”  
  
  
Vegeta said nothing as they continued to walk. He always had her hand in his or his tail wrapped around her. She thought it was cute how he constantly had to touch her. It wasn't in a sexual way either, not that she would mind if it was. As they walked hand in hand through the dark tunnel, he realized he trusted her. He trusted her more than anyone else in his life, which wasn’t saying much considering he only knew about ten people now.  
  
  
He decided he was going to tell her why he never left the tower when he heard a noise coming from behind him. He stopped walking and tightened his tail around Bulma’s waist, pulling her closer to him.  
  
  
“Ah Vegeta what the hell? Why did you---”  
  
  
“SHH!” he stood still and closed his eyes. He had heard a noise coming from behind him and wanted to be sure he hadn’t imagined it before worrying the woman. Suddenly they heard a loud blast as the door they had came through burst open, followed by the sounds of the guards dropping into the tunnel and running in their direction.  
  
  
“RUN!” Vegeta yelled as he dragged Bulma towards the opposite end of the tunnel.   
  
  
“Vegeta wait! How do you know where to go?”  
  
  
“There’s a breeze coming from this direction. There has to be a way out over here!” They ran further into the tunnel before turning a corner and coming to a dead end. There was small rays of light shining through the boarded up wall in front of them.   
  
  
“Fuck fuck fuck! It’s blocked. How are we going to-”  
  
  
Vegeta kicked his foot through the boards until there was a hole big enough for them both to fit through.  
  
  
“Go!” he yelled as he shoved her through.   
  
  
She crawled through the hole and turned around, making sure Vegeta was right behind her. It took their eyes a minute to adjust to the brightness of the sun.  
  
  
“Now where?” he asked her as they ran, looking back every few seconds to make sure the guards weren’t right behind them.  
  
  
“I don’t know!”  
  
  
“What do you mean you don’t know woman!” he yelled anxiously.  
  
  
“I mean I don’t know! I don’t know where we are!”   
  
  
They kept running until they got to a hollow canyon, looking down they could see an abandoned mine surrounded by water towers which were held up and connected by various support beams. From the beams hung pulleys used to lift and lower the old mine carts. At the bottom of the hollow canyon Vegeta spotted the entrance to a small cave.  
  
  
“I have an idea lets go!” he said as he pulled her along after him.  
  
  
“What? Where are we going?”   
  
  
He didn’t answer her he merely pointed towards the cave.   
  
  
“Are you insane! Look how far down that is! How are we going to get down there? Even _you_ can’t survive a fall from this high up!” she yelled as he pulled her closer to him. They could both hear the palace guards catching up to them.  
  
  
“Woman, do you trust me?” he asked as he grabbed her face in both hands, trying to calm her down. She was looking down at the bottom of the canyon and hyperventilating. When he noticed she was looking down, he pulled her face up to his, forcing her to make eye contact with him.  
  
  
“Do you trust me?”   
  
  
“ . .Yes. . “  
  
  
“Good. Lets go. I didn’t let you fall before and I won’t let you fall now.”  
  
  
He walked to the ledge of the canyon and took a step off the ledge and onto a support beam that led to one of the water towers. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and followed Vegeta across the beam.

* * *

They managed to make it across two of the beams before the guards caught up to them. One by one they started to follow Bulma and Vegeta across the beams. Most of the men were not nearly as nimble and careful as they had been. After a couple of unfortunate and not so agile guards fell to their deaths, the rest were hesitant to copy the couples actions.   
  
  
When Vegeta noticed two guards gaining on them, he stopped and broke the beam in half as soon as Bulma crossed it. Forcing the guards to go back the way they came or find an alternate route. Things were going their way until Kakarot joined the fray. He was just as agile as Vegeta and was gaining on them quickly.   
  
  
“Woman come here quickly!” he yelled at Bulma. Too pre-occupied minding her steps, she didn’t notice Vegeta grab a thick rope from one of the beams and wrap it around his arm tightly. Once she reached him he wrapped his tail and his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side.  
  
  
“Vegeta what...No no no no NO NO! Don’t you dare!” she yelled as he jumped off the beam with a smirk, barely dodging Kakarot’s hand as he lunged to grab her. She screamed and clung to Vegeta as they swung from the beam towards a weathered wooden platform. She felt his tail start to loosen as they got closer to it.   
  
  
“Don’t you let me go! DON’T DO IT VEGETA!” she yelled as he threw her onto the rickety platform. She rolled onto to roughly, landing on her wrist the wrong way and twisting it. Ignoring the pain, she jumped to her feet, expecting Vegeta to land next to her but he didn’t. He dropped down to a platform underneath her, far enough down that she wouldn't survive the fall on her own.  
  
  
“Jump!” he yelled to her with his arms extended as he glanced over to Kakarot as he was untying one of the ropes from the beam closest to him, intending to imitate Vegeta.   
  
  
“Vegeta it’s too far!” she whined, on the verge of tears. She started pacing the small platform, as if it would make her braver.   
  
  
“Are we going to have this argument every time we end up in a situation like this?” he angrily yelled.   
  
  
“NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T END UP IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS! AHHHH!” she screamed as the wooden platform she was on made the decision for her and cracked underneath her. Once again, Vegeta dove to catch her before she could hit the ground.  
  
  
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” he said with a smirk. Throwing her over his shoulder, he hopped from beam to beam until they were finally on the ground.  
  
  
 _What the fuck! NOW he’s going to be brave and make jokes! I almost died and he thinks NOW is a good time to flirt!  
  
  
_ They had just turned their backs on the guards and Kakarot when they heard a loud crack. They turned back quickly to see Kakarot swinging from a rope like Vegeta had but instead of jumping off of it, he was swinging from one end of the canyon to the other. His legs were straight out in front of him, and he was kicking the support beams holding up the two largest water towers.   
  
  
Their eyes widened as the the support beams holding up the two largest tanks cracked and collapsed. The two water tanks hit the ground with such force the ground trembled. As if in slow motion, they watched as the water bursts from each tower and barreled straight towards them.   
  
  
“RUN!” Bulma yelled, turning around and running as fast as she could into the dark cave. She immediately saw the look of fear and panic in his eyes as he realized there was no outrunning the huge wave headed their way.  
  
  
 _Oh my god! He doesn't know how to swim! Of course he doesn't! How would he have learned in that tower!  
  
  
_ She threw her arms around his neck and yelled "hold your breath!".  
  
  
Vegeta wrapped his tail tightly around her waist before the water swept them off their feet and into the cave.


	4. Fire & Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up as the truth comes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is unintentionally longer than the rest so far. . but a lot happens and it was hard to find a good stopping point.

It wasn’t hard for Frieza to figure out which direction Vegeta had traveled in. They practically left him bread crumbs. A worn path through the forest and passing soldiers gossiping about the blue haired thief and her Saiyan companion at the Kame House tavern was all the information he needed. Once he arrived at the tavern, he sat inconspicuously listening to the different conversations simultaneously taking place, most about this famous thief and her escape right from under the guards noses.   
  
  
He watched as two large Saiyans entered the tavern, nearly pummeling an elderly man at the mention of the woman. They demanded more information on her whereabouts. A long haired Saiyan approached them, coming to the old man’s rescue.  
  
  
“You two can go fuck yourselves. Even if anyone here knew exactly where Bulma went, none of us are going to tell you shit so stop harassing the elderly and get the fuck out of here,” the long haired man said to the two large Saiyans. He was large enough that the could probably take down both men on his own, especially with the rest of the tavern patrons seemingly on his side. The two Saiyans knew they were out numbered and left. Frieza saw an opportunity he couldn’t pass up and followed close behind them.  
  
  
After eavesdropping on the two men he discovered they were after the thief and by the sound of things, they weren’t trying to meet up with an old friend, they wanted her dead, which happened to work out nicely for Frieza.  
  
  
“Hello gentlemen” Frieza said with a sickly sweet smile as he approached the two from behind. Caught off guard, too involved in their rant about what they intended to do to the woman once they found her, they hadn’t realized they were being followed. Startled, they quickly turned and got into fighting stances.  
  
  
“Relax gentlemen. I have no interest in fighting you. I can guarantee you if I did you would both be dead, and it would not be quick.”  
  
  
“What do you want freak?” the bald one growled.  
  
  
“I have a proposition for you.”  
  
  
“We’re not interested Acrosian” the black haired one said with a sneer.  
  
  
“Really? Hmm too bad. I was going to pay the both of you to track down and kill that blue haired bitch everyone seems to be so obsessed with. But if you’re not interested I’ll find someone else to do the job. I’m sure it won’t be hard considering the hefty reward I was prepared to offer. . Oh well,” Frieza said with feigned disinterest as he turned to walk away.  
  
  
“Wait!” the large bald one said as he relaxed out of his stance.  
  
  
“What kind of reward? And how much are we talkin here?” the bald one asked.  
  
  
“The satisfaction of killing the woman should be reward enough but I can offer you a large some of money if you insist. However, I think you’d be far more interested in what I’m after.”  
  
  
“And what exactly would that be?” the black haired man asked suspiciously.   
  
  
“The young Saiyan she’s traveling with. He’s worth more alive than the woman.”  
  
  
“And what makes him so valuable?”  
  
  
“Allow me to enlighten you.”

* * *

The velocity of the water nearly knocked the air out of her. It felt like she had been slammed into a wall, her arms unintentionally letting go of Vegeta. As they sped through the cave, she felt Vegeta’s tail slacken around her waist before letting her go completely. They frantically tried to hold onto each other but the force of the water made it impossible. She panicked once she couldn’t feel him anymore or see him. There were small cracks in the cave walls, allowing a small amount of light to shine through, just enough to dimly light the cave  
  
  
Randomly she was able to raise her head and gasp for air before being pulled back under water. Had the cave been bigger, the situation they were in wouldn’t have been as grim but the cave was narrow, as were the different passageways they were both being forced down. She should be worried about drowning or being trapped in the cave until she starved to death. Instead she was worried about Vegeta. She knew how to swim, which helped her catch her breath when she was able to swim to the surface but Vegeta wouldn’t be able to. He was going to run out of air soon if he hadn’t already.   
  
  
The speed of the water started to slow but was not slow enough to grab onto the cave wall. The passageway she was being forced down widened, giving her the ability to stick her head out of the water.   
  
  
“Vegeta!!” she screamed through the cave frantically.   
  
  
She would take a breath, go under water, and check to see if she could see him before coming back to the surface and yelling for him. She repeated this cycle over and over again, praying his head would suddenly pop out of the surface of the water but it didn’t. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears with each passing minute.  
  
  
 _I’ve only known him less than a day and I’m already attached to him. I should be worried, I never allow myself to get close to anyone. I should be relieved he’s gone and I don’t have to take him to the damn capital. I could find my way out, go back to the tower, and tear it apart until I found my bag and the crown, but I don’t want to. I want to find him alive. I want to see the look on his face when he sees the damn dragon he’s risked his life to see. Fuck I need to find him.  
  
  
_ The speed of the water finally slowed. She found a small alcove embedded into a cave wall and dragged herself onto it, gasping for breath with tears in her eyes. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she took in her surroundings. She had no idea how big the cave was and how far she had gone into it. She had no way of knowing which direction to go to get out and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. At least not until she found Vegeta.   
  
  
She was about to leave the alcove when she saw him floating in the water, face down and not moving.   
  
  
“VEGETA!” she yelled as she dove back into the water and swam towards him. She flipped him over and felt for a pulse. It was faint but there. His lips were blue and the color had drained from his face. She prayed it was due to the freezing cold water and not from the lack of air.   
  
  
“It’s okay. You’re okay,” she kept repeating as she tried to swim towards the alcove with one arm around his waist. When she reached the ledge she hopped onto it, brought her arms underneath his, and pulled him next to her. Pinching his nose, she blew air into his lungs and began chest compression's. She repeated this action several times before she started to cry.  
  
  
“Vegeta wake up!! Open your damn eyes!” she cried, blowing air into his mouth and pushing into his chest. When he still didn’t move she intertwined her fingers, lifted her joined hands over her head, and slammed them onto his chest him while she cried.  
  
  
“Wake up Vegeta please!” She put her mouth over his one more time, trying to stop the tears from falling as she blew air into his lungs, but he still wasn’t moving. She laid her head on his chest and cried into him.   
  
  
“Please wake up, please. You have to see the dragon. _We_ have to see the stupid dragon.”  
  
  
She wiped her eyes, sat up, and tried to wake him up once more. She pushed on his chest and put her mouth to his one last time. As she started to move away from him he coughed and rolled onto his side as water poured from his mouth. Her eyes widened and she smiled ear to ear through her tears. He rolled back onto his back and gasped for air as she threw herself on top of him.  
  
  
“You stupid asshole! Don’t ever do that again!” she cried and hugged him.  
  
  
He stayed still in her arms, shocked by her unexpected hug and emotional distress. The warmth of her body on his relaxed him. His soaked tail wrapped around her waist as he buried his head in the crook of her neck until she pulled back, taking the warmth with her.  
  
  
“Why are you crying woman?” he croaked out, voice thick and scratchy.  
  
  
“Because I thought you died you idiot!” she said as he wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumbs.  
  
  
“Why would that have upset you? You’d no longer be obligated to take me to the dragon. You’d be able to go back to the tower and find your bag,” he said quietly as he looked away from her.  
  
  
“Don’t be dumb. You’re my...my friend,” she said shyly.  
  
  
“I thought you didn’t have friends?” he asked curiously.  
  
  
“Just shut up and stop questioning me. Your lips are blue and your pale. We need to get you warmed up. I forgot Saiyans don’t handle the cold well and that water is freezing. As if her comment reminded his body he was cold, his teeth started chattering and he started shivering.   
  
  
“I l-l-lost R-R-aditz's b-b-bag,” he said through chattering teeth.  
  
  
“It’s okay. We don’t need it.” she said as she rubbed his arms up and down, looking around as if a way out would magically appear in front of her.  
  
  
“Aren’t y-y-you cold t-t-too?”  
  
  
“Yeah but not nearly as cold as you are. We need to find a way out and we need to get you warm and fast. Humans and Saiyans are close enough biologically that you’re more than likely able to get hypothermia which is bad.  
  
  
“I n-n-need to s-s-see-“  
  
  
“What?”  
  
  
“I n-n-need to see t-t-the m-m-moon.“  
  
  
“Okay, random. I don’t think now is a good time for stargazing.” He gave her a small smile before shaking his head slightly.  
  
  
“T-t-trust m-m-me.”   
  
  
She nodded once before unwrapping her arms from him and laying him down on the ground. His tail tightened around her and his eyes widened with anxiety once he realized she was going to leave his side.  
  
  
“Where are y-y-you going?”  
  
  
“I have to find us a way out of here and soon,” she started to pull away from him but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.  
  
  
“P-p-lease don’t g-g-go.”   
  
  
“I don’t want to but I have to Vegeta. I have to find us a way out of here or we’re both screwed. I’ll be right back I promise.”  
  
  
He gave her a small nod and released her hand. Curling into a ball, he wrapped his arms around his knees, trying to get warm. His flame shaped hair was already drying and slowly defying gravity once again. She leaned over him and pushed his wet bangs out of his face and kissed his cheek. Before jumping into the water, she glanced back at him once more and saw his cheeks were bright red, one of his hands was covering the cheek she had kissed and his eyes were wide. She chuckled at his expression, dove into the water, and began swimming down the passageway.  
  
  
The water had almost come to a standstill. She was able to swim freely without being forced in one direction. When she came to a fork in the cave, she stopped to debate which route to take.  
  
  
 _Shit shit shit which way should I go? What if I go too far from him and something happens? What if I can’t find my way back?  
  
  
_ After an internal debate with herself she decided to keep going straight, knowing it would be easier to get back. After swimming for a few minutes the passageway curved to the right. She was about to turn back and try a different way when she noticed the end of the passageway happened to be brighter than the rest of the cave. Hope and excitement swelled inside her as she quickly swam towards the light.   
  
  
There was another alcove where the light was shining through a decent sized hole, like a beacon of hope. She climbed into the alcove and stood up straight. With her arms extended she was barely tall enough to reach the top of the cave. The hole in the cave roof was large enough to stick one of her arms through, but not big enough to crawl through. She could see the sun was setting which meant they would be stuck in complete darkness soon, depending on how bright the moon was shining.  
  
  
 _Maybe if I bring Vegeta over to this alcove he’ll be strong enough to somehow make the hole bigger, if he’s not too weak or tired. He said he needed to see the moon for some reason. Maybe once the sun completely sets he’ll be able to see it from the hole. If he can’t make the hole bigger I’ll have to keep exploring and move him again. SHIT how am I going to move him? He can’t swim and the water is still too deep. He’s a little bit taller than I am and I can’t touch the ground. Maybe he can hang on to the wall of the cave. I can try and help him but if he panics he’ll drag us both down.  
  
  
_ She made her way back to Vegeta in record time. When she got to him her heart almost stopped. His lips were a darker shade of blue than they were when she left. He was laying completely still, still in the fetal position like she left him. His breathing had slowed and his teeth were no longer chattering.   
  
  
She jumped into the alcove and knelt next to him. He was cold as ice. Saiyans had a higher than normal body temperature and didn’t handle the cold well. If she didn’t get him warm soon he might die. Judging by his appearance he was in the early stages of hypothermia.   
  
  
“Vegeta! Vegeta wake up! Look at me please!” she said to him, feeling her eyes well up with tears again. Rolling him over onto his back, she lifted him into her lap. She cupped both of his cheeks with her hands and started running her hands through his hair. Leaning into her hand, he opened his eyes slowly.   
  
  
“Woman why are you yelling?” he said groggily.  
  
  
“Because you look like a corpse and you weren’t moving!”  
  
  
“I’m just tired. Let me sleep.”  
  
  
“No you can’t sleep Vegeta. You’re definitely suffering from hypothermia. Sleeping is a really bad idea. I might have found a way out but you will have to get back in the water to get there.”  
  
  
“No. It’s too cold and I’m tired.”  
  
  
“I don’t care if you’re tired! Get your ass up! We have no other choice. You either get back in the water with me or you stay here and freeze to death. Those are your options.”  
  
  
“I...I can’t swim.”  
  
  
“I know that. I’ll help you.”  
  
  
The more she talked to him the more awake he became. He was scared to get back into the water, it didn't take a genius to figure that out and she didn’t blame him. If she didn't know how to swim and almost drown the last thing she would want to do would be to get back in the water. Staring into her eyes, he debated on whether or not to do as she said. He trusted her, she knew that much, but he was still scared and freezing.  
  
  
“I’m so cold,” he said quietly. She ran her hand across his jawline, hoping he would blush. She wanted to see _some_ color on his face.  
  
  
“I know. You said you wanted to see the moon right? I found a hole in the cave ceiling. It’s big enough to stick my arm through but not enough to climb through. I’m hoping you can use those big strong handsome muscles of yours to make the hole bigger. If not, well you should be able to see the moon through the hole. The sun is setting right now though which means soon the cave will be pitch black. We need to go now.” His cheeks turned red when she mentioned his muscles, making her smile ear to ear.   
  
  
“Okay let’s go,” he said hesitantly. Had she not mentioned the moon he would have probably chosen to stay and sleep, despite her protests against it. Bulma helped him roll onto his side, closer to the edge of the alcove. He sat up slowly and stared into the water.   
  
  
“Hey,” she whispered, getting his attention. “I won’t let you drown. I promise.”   
  
  
He put his hand in hers and gave it a quick squeeze to acknowledge her words. Before she could get back into the water, he wrapped his tail around her waist.   
  
  
“You can keep your tail around me if it helps but you’re going to need to get back in the water at the same time as I do. Ready?”  
  
  
He let her hand go, gave her a quick nod, and got into the water with her. He gasped as soon as he was submerged. She wasn’t sure if it was out of fear, cold, or both.   
  
  
“Kick your feet and move your hands like this” she said as she imitated a frog. He started to kick but she could see the panic in his eyes once they started to move away from the alcove. She stayed close to him and guided him towards the cave wall. Luckily the wall was jagged, providing him with small divots he could hang on to. They were about half way there when his hand slipped and he went under. His tail tightened and pulled her with him.  
  
  
She took a deep breath and followed him under. He didn’t hold his breath when he went under and was already struggling to breathe. She grabbed him by his face and put her mouth on his, giving him the air she had. He stopped panicking and put his arms around her, suddenly unconcerned with the fact that he was about to drown. She would have laughed had she been able to breathe. She pulled away from him and smiled, grabbing his arm and pulling them to the surface.  
  
  
They both gasped for air as they broke the surface. She found another divot in the side of the cave and placed his hand on it, treading water next to him while he caught his breath.   
  
  
“Hey. . look at me,“ he had his eyes closed but opened them and turned his head towards her.  
  
  
“You’re going to be okay. We’re almost there. I told you I wouldn’t let you drown.”  
  
  
“Okay,” he said quietly, voice slightly hoarse.  
  
  
He started making his way along the cave wall again, this time a little slower than before. But he picked up speed once he saw the alcove she was talking about. The sun had almost completely set, leaving the cave very dimly lit. He wasn’t concerned with the lack of light like Bulma was. No sunlight meant moonlight which meant being warm and having his strength back. They reached the alcove and laid down on their backs next to each other, catching their breath.  
  
  
"First thing I'm doing after we see the dragon is teach you to swim," she chuckled.  
  
  
"Tch."  
  
  
“You should rest a little bit. Just...don’t go to sleep okay?”  
  
  
“How can I sleep if you’re screeching at me?” he said with a smirk. She should have been annoyed but she wasn’t. She was just happy he felt well enough to insult her. Instead of arguing with him she took his hand in hers and stared up at the small amount of sky she could see through the hole above them.  
  
  
After a while she could feel him start to shiver again. She scooted next to him until there sides were touching, turned on her side, threw her arm over him, put one of her arms under his neck, and pulled him into her chest  
  
  
His eyes widened and he froze. “What...what are you doing?”   
  
  
“Calm down. The fastest way to warm up is with body heat. We’re both wet so it’s not going to be as effective as it would be if we were dry but my body heat should still help you at least a little.” She paused to see his reaction and if he would respond. Unsatisfied by his lack of response, she continued to tease him.  
  
  
“However, it usually works even faster if we’re naked,” she whispered into his ear. She could see and feel a shiver run through his body. This time she didn’t think it was from the cold because his cheeks turned a dark red.  
  
  
“I...I don’t...I mean...I,” he stammered, flustered by her suggestion, but not pulling away.  
  
  
She just chuckled as she ran one hand through his hair. He sighed happily, relaxing into her, and wrapping his tail around her thigh. After a few minutes she could hear a low rumbling sound coming from his chest. He was purring with contentment. He had stopped shivering and had wrapped the arm he wasn’t lying on across her chest, pulling her even closer to him.   
  
  
They laid there as the darkness in the cave intensified. She could feel his body temperature rise, not nearly as warm as he should be but it was enough to ease her worries.   
  
  
“How do you feel? Are you warm, well, warmer?” she asked quietly.  
  
  
“Hmm?” The warmth of her body next to his was making him sleepy. He would doze off but jerk awake each time she spoke to him.  
  
  
She giggled a bit, making her chest bounce slightly in his face. His purring intensified. She had a feeling it had nothing to do with being comfortable and more to do with their proximity. Considering he had never seen a girl before her, he was probably enjoying the view. Not to mention the fact that her nipples were hard enough to cut through glass.   
  
  
“Are you warm? Warmer than before? If it’s not working I can move and-”  
  
  
“No!” he practically yelled and tightened his hold on her. She was trying extremely hard not to laugh at how cute his desperation for her was.  
  
  
He cleared his throat and relaxed his grip a bit. “I mean, I am warmer and it is working.”  
  
  
“Okay then,” she smiled and continued to play with his hair. The cave was almost completely dark. Whenever she would hear his breathing even out she would talk to him, forcing him to stay awake.  
  
  
“Can I ask you something?” she asked, hoping starting a conversation would prevent him from dozing off again.  
  
  
“You can ask but I may not answer.”  
  
  
“Dick. Why haven’t you left that tower? Until now I mean? What made you stay and what made you decide to leave now?”  
  
  
She felt him tense in her arms after she asked him the question that had been eating away at her since she met him. He stayed tense and quiet. She assumed this was a sign he wasn’t going to answer her question again.  
  
  
She sighed. “You don’t have to answer. It’s obviously a sore subject. I just figured since we both almost died numerous times today you might trust me enough to tell me. But I understand it if you don’t want to.”  
  
  
He thought she would stop playing with his hair or push him away from her once he refused to answer. He could tell she was let down and frustrated but she didn’t push the subject. She was right, he did trust her. He trusted her more than anyone else in the world, including his own father. She could have left him to die in the cave but she didn’t. She risked her own life to find him and save him. She even cried over him when she thought he had died. He owed her an answer.  
  
  
“It’s easier if I show you but I can’t without the moon,” he mumbled against her chest. She furrowed her brow, wondering if maybe the time he was isolated messed with his head a bit.  
  
  
 _What could the moon possibly have to do with anything? Does he really want to avoid the subject so much that he’d lie to me about it?  
  
  
_ “Hmm. Okay,” was all she said.   
  
  
“Why are you a thief? Do you have a family somewhere or a home?”  
  
  
Bulma swallowed audibly. She knew he would ask her about herself again, she’s surprised he waited as long as he had. Still, a small part of her hoped he would have forgotten or just lost interest in her past. She could have lied or blown him off again, but given their situation, and the fact that he was somewhat more willing to tell her about himself, she felt like she owed it to him. Especially after they both admitted they trusted each other. With a heavy sigh, she told him more about herself than she had told any other person.  
  
  
“I don’t have a family or a home. I steal things to survive basically. I try to steal small things no one will notice are missing. The only time I’ve ever stolen something extremely valuable is when I know whatever it is will fetch a good price. Usually though I only steal when I’m either desperate or if the person I’m stealing from is an asshole. I don’t feel as bad about it when that’s the case. I’m sure you’ve realized aside for being gorgeous I’m also ridiculously smart. When possible I’ll work small jobs here and there to get by but sometimes that’s not an option.” She stayed quiet, hoping that would quell his curiosity, but of course it didn’t.  
  
  
“What about your family? What happened to them?”  
  
  
“I grew up in an orphanage. I didn’t know my mother and I don’t remember my father. My mother got sick while she was pregnant with me. She managed to pull out of it but her body was too weak by the time she went into labor. She died giving birth to me. My father died a few years later. The story changes depending on who is asked. I’m not quite sure how he died just that he did.”   
  
  
“He was a well known and well liked doctor in the small town I was born in. I guess. . I guess one of his regular patients showed up at our home to see him but got no answer when he knocked on our door. Worried, he entered the house anyways and found my father dead and me alone in the house. I don’t remember any of this, I was two or three, I think. When I was older I went back to the town where I was born and asked around. They think he may have died suddenly from some sort of heart disease. It’s possible I guess. I don’t have reason to believe otherwise. Some of the more...imaginative...towns people claim he died of a broken heart. He couldn’t stand the pain of losing my mother and after three years he succumbed to the pain.”  
  
  
“Do you believe that?”   
  
  
“No. I think it’s bullshit. I don’t believe it’s possible to care about someone so much that the loss steals your will to live. I can't imagine being that close to anyone to be honest.”  
  
  
Her comment bothered him more than he expected. She said she didn't have friends but she said she considered him her friend. If he was being honest with himself he was already attached to her. He really couldn't imagine parting ways with her and going back to his miserable isolated life in the tower. Would she ever 'like him' as more than a friend? He didn't have any experience with emotions other than loneliness and anger, but he knew he was looking at her as more than just a friend.   
  
  
“When did you leave the orphanage?”  
  
  
“When I was nine.”  
  
  
“They let you out on your own at that age?”  
  
  
“Pffft no. I ran away.”  
  
  
“Why?’  
  
  
“You may know what an orphanage is, academically speaking, but you’ve never been in one. Reading about it and experiencing it are two very different things. I was better off on my own than there. Besides, even if that place had been all sunshine and rainbows, I would have left anyways.”  
  
  
“Why?”  
  
  
"Because I wanted an adventure.” He leaned back a bit so he could look into her eyes, giving her a questioning look, wanting an explanation.   
  
  
“I had always dreamed of exploring the planet and going on grand adventures around the world. I read a lot when I was growing up. When you read a good book, everything else in your life sorta fades away as you become more entrenched in someone else's story. My favorite books were always involved a young girl, venturing on her own, meeting new people, and just. .living carefree and happy without any permanent attachments.”  
  
  
“How old are you?”  
  
  
“18.”  
  


“You’ve been on the run for nine years?”  
  
  
“Give or take but yes.”  
  
  
“How have you managed to avoid imprisonment for so long?”  
  
  
“I haven’t. I’ve been caught a few times but I can usually talk my way out of trouble or figure a way out of whatever predicament I’m in. I have a wide array of skills that have gotten me by so far. Being drop dead gorgeous helps” she said with a wink. He rolled his eyes at her narcissistic comment.   
  
  
“You boys tend to think with other parts of your anatomy instead of your brain when it comes to a pretty girl. It’s extremely helpful when trying to steal something and when I’m in a sticky situation.” He frowned at that statement and unconsciously held her a little tighter.   
  
  
_I wonder if he realizes he squeezes me a little tighter whenever he’s jealous. I don’t think he would blatantly pull me closer to him or hold me tighter intentionally without getting embarrassed.  
  
  
_ “I can usually talk my way out of most situations. _Normally_ , a compliment, a wink, a brush of my hand against a shoulder or hand is all it takes to get out of whatever trouble I’m in. Except in your case. You didn’t fall for my tricks and are apparently immune to my charms. So here we are.”  
  
  
“I’m not immune,“ he mumbled so low she wasn’t sure if she heard him right. So she just smiled and pretended not to hear him once she saw how red his cheeks were turning at his omission. She had hoped his interrogation had finally come to an end but it hadn’t. Laying in a dark cave cold and wet seemed to have made him a lot more talkative than he had been since she first met him.  
  
  
 _It’s hard to believe I met him this morning. It sounds soooo lame but I feel like I’ve known him a while, which is bad. He’s so attached to me already and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like being around him. The way he blushes and stutters when he’s embarrassed or flustered, how easily he gets jealous, how he hangs on to me for dear life whenever he’s in a situation he can’t control or isn’t used to. Shit. I am in trouble.  
  
  
_ “Are you warm enough and rested enough to try and get us out of here?” she asked while motioning towards the opening in the cave roof above their heads. He was warm and rested enough to try. . but he didn’t want to. He was comfortable and content. Genuinely content for the first time since he could remember. But they _did_ need to get out of the cave, especially if he wanted to make it in time to see the dragon.  
  
  
“I’m still cold and tired but I can try” he mumbled as he reluctantly removed himself from her side and sitting up, instantly freezing again.  
  
  
She tried to sit up with him but when she put pressure on one of her hands, pain shot through her hand, causing her to whimper. She had hoped Vegeta didn’t hear it but of course he did.  
  
  
“Woman what’s wrong?” he asked concerned  
  
  
“It’s nothing I’m fine,” she said as she rubbed her wrist. She tried to place her hand behind her back but he grabbed her arm. He frowned when he saw her wrist was slightly swollen and discolored.  
  
  
“What the hell happened? Why didn’t you say anything?”  
  
  
“When I landed on that wooden platform, I landed on my wrist wrong. I didn’t tell you because we’ve kinda had a lot going on. It doesn’t hurt that bad, not until I put pressure on it. It’s fine Vegeta, really. I can splint it when we’re out of here.”  
  
  
He released her arm and frowned. He stood quickly as a wave of determination washed over him, which didn’t go unnoticed by Bulma. He flexed his hand a couple of times, clenching and unclenching his fist. He stuck his arm through the hole to feel the edges, determining the cave ceiling wasn't made completely of rock, but hard compacted dirt.  
  
  
“Stand back. I don’t know if the roof will cave in when I make the hole bigger.” Her eyes widened at this. When she devised her plan, somehow that never ran through her mind. He pulled his fist back, about to put the rest of his energy into the punch when he felt a cold hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He turned and looked at her questionably.  
  
  
“Be careful,” she said quietly.  
  
  
With a small not he pulled his fist back once more, and punched the side of the hole. Instantly the dirt around it crumbled and fell around him, making him cough. He looked up once the dirt cleared and smiled. He could easily lift Bulma up through it now. She was waving her hand in the air and coughing, trying to fan the cloud of dirt away from her.   
  
  
Her eyes lit up once she saw their escape route. She launched herself at Vegeta and wrapped her arms around him tightly.  
  
  
“You did it!” she squealed. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her neck. His warm breath caused a shiver to run down her spine. They pulled apart from each other but stayed in each others arms. Their faces were close enough to feel their breath on each others face. She noticed Vegeta had started to breathe a little heavier.  
  
  
 _If I move my head just a bit I’d be able to kiss her. I’ve never kissed anyone before. What if I’m bad at it? Would she push me away?  
  
  
_ She snapped out of her trance when she realized how cold his body was in her arms. Clearing her throat, she took a step back, out of his embrace.  
  
  
“You’re still freezing Vegeta, we need to get you out of here before you get sick.”   
  
  
She ran her hand across his cheek, not wanting him to feel like she was rejecting him. She didn’t think he’d be able to handle that considering she’s the first female he’s ever been in contact with. He leaned into her hand before nodding in acknowledgement.  
  
  
“I’ll lift you up then climb out myself.” He placed his hands on her hips, without waiting for her to agree or disagree, lifting her high enough for her to rest her arms on the edge of the hole, and pull herself out of it. Once out of the cave she turned to look back down at him, smiling ear to ear.  
  
  
“Come on handsome,” she said with her hand extended.  
  
  
“Hmph. As if you could lift me. Stand back,” he said as he bent his knees and crouched. She moved away from the edge of the cave as instructed, and waited. Within a few seconds she saw his arms land on the edge of the hole. She knew had he been at full strength he would have no issue climbing out himself. But he wasn’t at full strength, he was still cold and weak. She hurried to his side and grabbed his hand, helping pull him onto the ground next to her once she noticed he was struggling to climb out on his own.  
  
  
He crawled away from the opening and laid on his back, panting from the exertion.  
  
  
“Stay here,” Bulma said as she stood and started walking into the woods.   
  
  
“Wait! Where are you going?”  
  
  
“To get firewood. We need to get you warm.”  
  
  
“I’ll go with you,” he said, still out of breath as he started to sit up.   
  
  
“No. You’re exhausted. I’m not going very far. I’ve been on my own for years remember? I think I can survive a stroll through the woods,” she said with a wink, turning her back and walking into the woods.  
  
  
 _She mentions being alone as if it’s no big deal but it is. If anyone knows that it’s me. She may have had a lot of interaction with others throughout her life which I can’t relate to but I still know what it’s like to be alone.  
  
  
_ He looked up at the nights sky and realized the moon was not out. It was overcast and cloudy, which meant he still couldn’t heal himself or Bulma. With a sigh he impatiently waited for her to return. True to her word, she returned within a few minutes with a small amount of firewood in her arms. Placing the wood in a pile in front of him, she began the task of making a fire, using two stones to create sparks.  
  
  
It didn’t take her long to get a fire going and forcing him to sit as close to it as possible. He let out a sigh as soon as the warmth of the flames hit him. He glanced at her and saw that she was watching him and smiling.  
  
  
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”  
  
  
“The color is coming back to your face already and the blue in your lips is fading,” she said as she continued to smile at him. He glanced away, blushing. He heard her stand up and walk up to him before sitting down next to him, thighs touching, leaving little to no room in between them.”  
  
  
“I’m sorry. I know you wanted to see the moon but I don’t know if that’s going to-” before she could finish her sentence she noticed Vegeta’s face illuminate as the clouds parted, dousing them in moonlight. He smirked and looked at her. She looked at him questionably, unsure what caused the smug look on his face.   
  
  
“Uh oh. I don’t like that face. That face only means trouble.”  
  
  
“Remember how I said it was easier to show you why never left that tower?  
  
  
“Yes,” she said hesitantly.   
  
  
“Give me your injured hand.”  
  
  
"Why?"  
  
  
“Trust me.”  
  
  
She placed her hand in his and watched as he slowly wrapped his tail around her wrist, trying to be gentle and careful not to cause her pain.  
  
  
“You’re being strangely cryptic as you wrap your tail around my injured wrist,” she said while eyeing him suspiciously. With a scowl he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Bulma gasped, covering her mouth with her free hand as she watched Vegeta’s tail began to glow. The discoloration on her wrist slowly disappeared and so did the pain.  
  
  
When he opened his eyes she was staring at his tail, wide eyes, mouth open in shock. She squeaked out a noise, trying to find words to say. She closed her mouth, opened it again and began to talk when Vegeta cut her off.  
  
  
“Woman, don’t freak out.”  
  
  
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His tail began to glow again and within seconds the blue in his lips was gone, his skin was back to its normal dark shade of brown, and his busted lip had healed. He looked even healthier than he had when she first met him.

  
“I’m not freaking out are you freaking out I’m just really interested in your tail that has magic powers and can change colors and light up,” she blurted out quickly without pausing to take a breath.  
  


“For as long as I can remember. My father said when I was a baby people discovered my powers and tried to cut off my tail to use it for themselves. We don’t even know if it would still work if detached, considering they would essentially be severing one of my limbs. Power like this has to be protected. That’s why I never left.”   
  
  
“And you’re still gonna go back?”  
  
  
“I don’t know,” he sighed, broke eye contact with her, and stared directly into the fire.  
  
  
“You said your father wouldn’t _let_ you leave. I’ve seen how strong you are and your ability to fight. Why didn’t you just...leave. You could easily over power him couldn’t you?”  
  
  
“No. He’s much stronger than I am and he has ways of making my life hell. For the most part I’m alone. He makes an appearance whenever he needs me to heal him. I know when he finds out I left...he’s going to...” he didn’t continue, assuming she understood what he was insinuating. She continued to watch him, debating whether or not she should suggest he stay with her. She has always avoided attachments, was she ready to attach herself to the naive innocent boy sitting next to her?   
  
  
“I’m going to go get more firewood and pee. I’ll be right back,” she said, kissing his cheek and standing.   
  
  
He sat alone, knees pulled up to his chest, chin resting on top of them while he waited for Bulma to return. Debating whether it was a good idea to have told her about his power and his fear of leaving the tower. He heard a rustling coming from his left. “Took you long enough woman,” he mumbled, thinking Bulma had returned. The color drained from his face when he came face to face with Frieza.

* * *

“F-f-father” he stammered, completely shocked and a little frightened, knowing he’s furious.  
  
  
“Hello Vegeta. Surprised to see me?”  
  
  
“How. . how did you find me?”  
  
  
“It was easy. I followed the sounds of complete and utter betrayal. I specifically forbade you from leaving. Yet here you are.”  
  
  
“I will be an adult as of tomorrow. I wanted to see the floating dragon. The opportunity presented itself and I took it. I intend to return once I’ve seen the it.”  
  
  
“The opportunity? The woman that’s a wanted criminal, the blue haired thief the kingdom seems to be obsessed with? Is that the opportunity you speak of?” He remained silent, wanting to defend her but unable to considering she was a wanted criminal and a thief.  
  
  
“You trust a complete stranger to keep her word? You’ve known her less than a day and it seems you’re quite taken with her.” Frieza’s laid back mood made him uneasy. He had expected his father to beat him until he was unconscious and forcefully taking him back to the tower. Instead he was calmly having a conversation with him.  
  
  
“I trust her. I think...I think she has feelings for me,” he mumbled, looking back into the flames when his cheeks warmed.  
  
  
Frieza laughed as if Vegeta had told him an amusing joke. Vegeta couldn’t help but frown at his reaction.   
  
  
“You’re completely demented. Why would she have feelings for you? Look at you. Do you think she’s impressed by your naivety? You’ve always been a stupid little monkey. You really think she has any sort of feelings for you? I guarantee you she doesn’t. She is a thief. She is using you to get what she wants. Once she has it she will leave without a second glance.”  
  
  
“You’re wrong,” Vegeta seethed.  
  
  
“Are you sure?” Frieza removed the bag he had slung over his shoulder and tossed it to him. Confused, Vegeta caught it before it could hit the ground. He knew it was Bulma’s bag and he knew what was inside it.  
  
  
“Give her this, give her what she wants and watch how fast she ditches you, laughing at your naivety and ignorance.”  
  
  
“I will,” Vegeta said with a look of arrogant determination.  
  
  
“I expect you to take your punishment willingly for defying me when you inevitably slink back to me with your tail between your legs in shame,” Frieza said with a cruel smirk as he turned and walked back into the forest. Before Bulma could return, he balled up the bag as tightly as he could and shoved it forcefully into a nearby bush, planning to shove it inside his hoodie in the morning. Seconds later Bulma returned, arms full of firewood.  
  
  
“So am I going to get some sort of super powers? That would be sooooo cool and it would make it a lot easier for me to break out of prison cells,” she said jokingly. She noticed his demeanor had changed since she was gone.  
  
  
“Hey, are you okay?”  
  
  
“Yeah. I just thought I heard a noise,” he said without looking into her eyes. She shrugged and continued to talk.  
  
  
“I am already a genius and I'm already beautiful. Super powers would just make me the complete package,” she said as she added more wood to the fire. She sat back down next to him, yawning as she stretched.  
  
  
“We should get some sleep. We have to get up fairly early if we’re gonna make it to the capital by nightfall.”   
  
  
She laid down next to the fire and rolled on to her side with her back to Vegeta. He laid on his side facing her back, replaying what his father said in his head. He was lost in thought when Bulma suddenly flipped on to her other side, basically rolling into his arms. She was about to move but decided against it. Leaning into him further, she buried her face into his chest.   
  
  
He stretched out his arm so she could use it as a pillow and pulled her closer to him with his free arm. He looked down at the woman in his arms and stared at her, mentally praying his father was wrong, praying once he gave her the crown she wouldn’t abandon him. He pulled his head back slightly, wanting to get a better look at her face. Her eyes were open and she was staring at his chest, as if she was also deep in thought.  
  
  
 _Do it. Don’t be a coward. She came to you. She won’t push you away.  
  
  
_ His hand trembled slightly as he brought it up and cupped her face, rubbing his thumb back and forth along her cheek bone. She sighed, enjoying the warmth of his touch. He ran the back of his hand along her cheek bone once more before gently grabbing her chin in between his thumb and finger. He tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at him.  
  
  
His breathing picked up as he slowly leaned in closer to her face. He paused before their lips touched and took a deep breath, as if he suddenly lost his nerve to follow through with his plan. Sensing his hesitation Bulma closed the gap between them and kissed him on the lips. Even though he had planned to kiss her, it shocked him when their lips connected. He tensed in her arms, not moving his lips, simply staying still while their lips were touching. She could sense his unease and started to pull back when his hand suddenly went to her neck, pulling her lips back to his.  
  
  
He still didn’t move his mouth, simply setting his lips against hers. She then realized this was his first kiss. Although he knew what a kiss was he didn’t seem to know what to do next or how to deepen it. She began to kiss him repeatedly and softly. She sucked on his bottom lip and bit down on it gently, causing him to groan and tighten his hold on her, afraid if he let go she would vanish. He never wanted to stop kissing her.   
  
  
She licked his bottom lip, causing him to gasp and pull away slightly. She looked into his eyes and giggled at the shocked look on his face. His bottom lip was a little red and his mouth was slightly open. She saw the opportunity she was looking for, pulled him closer to her, and stuck her tongue in his mouth. She heard him suck in a breath in surprise. He had not expected her actions. He caught on quickly and began sucking on her tongue before slipping his into her mouth. She felt his body respond to their closeness the first time she placed her lips on his, making her smile against his mouth.   
  
  
He was breathing heavily and would let out a small moan here and there as they took turns sucking on each others lips and tongues. She wanted to continue, especially after she felt his hardened length against her core. Heat rushed to her lower lips, making her squeeze her thighs together tightly. He had never slept with anyone before and as much as she wanted to continue, she didn’t think screwing in the dirt in the middle of the forest would be an ideal first time for him. Based on his actions she knew he personally wouldn’t care but she felt like he deserved better than that.  
  
  
She pulled away from him slowly, he leaned in after her with his eyes closed, not wanting to lose the warmth of her mouth on his. She smiled again, held his head in her hands and placed her forehead against his.   
  
  
“We should stop,” she whispered to him.  
  
  
“I don’t want to,” he said, kissing her cheek and burying his face into the crook of her neck.  
  
  
“I know you don’t. To be honest, I don’t either but I don’t think we should fuck in the dirt in the middle of the woods where anyone could see us.” Her vulgarity caused an unexpected reaction as he felt himself harden further.  
  
  
“Vulgar woman,” he mumbled as his cheeks turned red, making her giggle.  
  
  
She lowed her head and nuzzled into him as he wrapped his tail around her waist snugly. He leaned his head on hers and inhaled her scent as he closed his eyes, feeling sleep slowly wash over him.  
  
  
“Goodnight Vegeta,” Bulma whispered into his chest. He kissed her on the top of her head before giving her a quick squeeze with his tail.  
  
  
“Goodnight woman,” Vegeta whispered back as he drifted to sleep.

* * *

“Patience monkeys. All good things come to those who wait,” Frieza said to Turles and Nappa, standing a ways away, watching the couple.


	5. Detour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma and Vegeta make a new friend/enemy.  
> He proves he can be trustworthy when they make an unexpected pit stop on their way to the palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter's a bit long and there's some pee pee touching.

She was accustomed to going to sleep alone and waking up alone. If anything, sleeping next to someone is more of an anomaly. For this reason, she was quite surprised at herself when she woke up irritated due to the lack of body heat against her back. Not to mention the lack of a furry appendage wrapped snugly around her waist and a muscular arm draped across her stomach. The sun had started to rise making it impossible to fall back to sleep now that she was awake.  
  
  
With a groan she draped her arm across her eyes and rolled onto her back. She heard a small noise coming from her left but brushed it off, assuming it was Vegeta. She suddenly got the feeling she was being watched. Even when she would catch Vegeta staring at her, she didn’t get the nagging feeling she was currently feeling. She slowly moved her arm from over her eyes and opened them. Standing directly over her face was a very tall Saiyan, black hair sticking up in random spots and a huge smile on his face.  
  
  
“Hi Bulma! I’m Kakarot!   
  
  
“AHHHHHH!”   
  
  
She screamed at the top of her lungs before rolling away from him and jumping to her feet. Unfortunately, she had no weapon and Vegeta was no where to be found. All she could do to defend herself is raise her fists as if preparing for a boxing match.

  
"It's okay! I have to take you back to the palace but I promise I won't hurt you!" he said with a huge goofy smile while holding his hands up in the air to show he meant no harm.  
  
  
“Get the fuck away from me! I’m not going anywhere with you! Who are you and what do you want?” she yelled.  
  
  
She saw a large stick lying fairly close to where she was standing and dove for it but Kakarot beat her to it. As soon as she grabbed it he pulled it out of her hand and broke it in two.  
  
  
“Aww don’t do that please! I don’t want to fight. Besides, we both know I’m way stronger than you. It'll be easier if you just come with me. I don’t wanna have to force you to.”  
  
  
“Who are you!”  
  
  
“I told you my name is Kakarot!” he said smiling again.  
  
  
“I know that idiot! I meant why are you after me and where are you taking me!”  
  
  
“Oh right!” he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I’m one of the palace guards. My dad is the Captain.”  
  
  
“Fuck,” she said under her breath.  
  
  
“Yeah...so if you wanna just come back with me to the palace things will be a lot easier. I think we could even be friends!” he said with another big smile.  
  
  
She wasn’t sure if he was acting naive and slightly stupid or if he was genuinely as kind and aloof as he seemed.  
  
  
“Ya know what? I could use a new friend! I don’t wanna fight you either. Lead the way!”   
  
  
She smiled at him with the biggest fake smile she could muster. Kakarot turned his back to her and started to head in the direction of the palace. As soon as he turned his back she turned the opposite way and ran as fast as she possibly could. She knew Saiyans were faster than humans so realistically she knew he would catch her. She was never one to want a knight in shining armor to rescue her, she had never wanted someone to protect her or fight her battles for her, she could handle herself. Except right now she couldn’t and she wanted Vegeta to come to her rescue immediately.  
  
  
On cue, she felt two arms wrap around her waist as she ran, knocking the air out of her and scaring her half to death. She took a deep breath, preparing to scream as loud as she could when a hand covered her mouth and a tail wrapped around her waist.  
  
  
“It’s me woman. What’s the-”  
  
  
Kakarot appeared in front of them with sad look on his face.  
  
  
“Aww come on Bulma! I thought we were going to be friends! Now I’m gonna have to carry you,” he sighed as he approached her.  
  
  
Vegeta instinctively pushed Bulma behind him and growled, never letting go of her waist. Kakarot’s eyes widened as he glanced from Vegeta’s tail around Bulma’s waist to her eyes.  
  
  
“You’re mated to a Saiyan? No one told me that. Does anyone know that? They just keep saying you’re traveling with a Saiyan not that he’s your mate.”  
  
  
The color drained from Bulma’s face. She did _not_ want to have this conversation with Vegeta right now and she definitely didn’t want him to be thrown into a dungeon just because she was a shitty person. If he was arrested with her he wouldn’t get to see the dragon and everything they’ve gone through so far would be for nothing.   
  
  
“What do you mean we’re mated?” Vegeta asked with a scowl, cheeks slightly reddening.  
  
  
“You don’t know what that means? Your tail is around her so I-”  
  
  
“I’m not going with you Kakarot!” Bulma yelled, interrupting him and hopefully changing the subject.  
  
  
“You have to Bulma! If I don’t take you in then someone else will and they won’t be as nice about it as I am!” he whined as if they’ve known each other their entire lives.  
  
  
“Do you know this fool?” Vegeta asked Bulma. He was irritated by the fact that the idiot in front of him may be another Saiyan she was ‘friends’ with.  
  
  
“No! I was sleeping and when I woke up he was standing over me staring and smiling! He’s a palace guard! The son of the Captain of the palace guards to be precise. He’s here to take me back to arrest me!”  
  
  
The thought of someone watching her sleep angered him, making another round of growls emit from deep in his chest. Not only was he mad at the Saiyan in front of him, he was mad at himself for having left her alone. Had he not, they wouldn't be in the situation they currently found themselves in.  
  
  
"She’s not going anywhere with you,” Vegeta growled through gritted teeth while getting into a fighting stance.  
  
  
Kakarot sighed. He didn't want to fight the smaller Saiyan. It was obvious he was just trying to protect Bulma. He wasn’t sure how it was possible for the Saiyan to not know what it meant to be mated or how he wasn’t aware of the significance of wrapping your tail around someone.  
  
  
Bulma could see the situation in front of her escalating quickly. She had to think of a way out of their predicament and fast. If Vegeta beats Kakarot, they’ll be able to make their way to the capital but once he comes to he would be hot on their trail, not to mention the additional punishment she would receive if captured. Vegeta would also be punished since he would be the one attacking a guard.  
  
  
If Kakarot won they would both be hauled in anyways only difference would be that he would be hurt, at least until nightfall. Both options resulted in him missing the dragon. She had thought of one other possible solution but she knew for a fact Vegeta would hate it. Kakarot seemed friendly enough that he may actually agree to it.  
  
  
“WAIT!” Bulma yelled as she saw the two prepare to face off. Startled by her sudden outburst, both Saiyans relaxed their stances.  
  
  
She took a step in front of Vegeta. He gripped her tighter with his tail and tried to pull her back behind him but she stopped him by petting it. He started unintentionally purring, closing his eyes, and relaxing. Bulma tried not to smile at his reaction. Kakarot’s eyes widened as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. He opened his mouth to ask a question about the pair but Bulma put her finger up to her lips, giving him a pleading look, hoping he would understand. He gave her a quick nod in understanding and smiled. Vegeta’s eyes shot open once Bulma began to speak and stopped petting his tail.  
  
  
“I’ll make you a deal Kakarot. Give me until tomorrow morning and I’ll go with you willingly and quietly. I pinky promise and I _never_ break a pinky promise. Give me the rest of today and I’ll go with you tomorrow. I swear it.” She could see the wheels in Kakarot’s head turning as he contemplated her request.  
  
  
“Woman no! What the hell are you doing! I won’t let you go with him!”   
  
  
“Why wait until tomorrow? Why do you need the rest of the day? You’re not going to steal again are you?” Kakarot narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.  
  
  
“Stop talking to the idiot. He doesn’t need to know anything else. Once I've defeated him we can continue with our plan.” Bulma ignored Vegeta and turned back to Kakarot.   
  
  
“I’ll tell you the truth Kakarot. I am not going to steal anymore _I promise_. The reason I need the rest of the day is because it’s his eighteenth birthday. He’s never left home before. All he’s wanted for a long time is to see the dragon and the fireworks they launch for the lost prince. Once he sees the dragon I was going to get him home. That’s the truth. Tomorrow morning his birthday will be over and he’ll have seen the dragon. I would like to take him back home myself but if you can’t give me anymore time then all I ask for is tonight. He’s not my accomplice or anything. I met him by accident and I’m helping him. That’s the truth. I don’t want him implicated in my wrong doings at all. He’s my...he's my friend. Not a criminal.”  
  
  
Vegeta’s chest suddenly felt very warm and tight like the night before. Possessively, he squeezed her a little tighter.   
  
  
_The woman called me her friend after she insisted she didn't have any. I should be happy she considers me as anything other than an obligation but I'm not, not as much as I'd thought I'd be anyways. I thought after everything in the cave we were becoming more than friends. Friends don't kiss each other the way she kissed me, at least I don't think they do. She's willingly going to turn herself in so she can spend my birthday with me to ensure I see the dragon. I don't know if I want to grab her and kiss her again or shake some sense into her. Maybe I should just kill the idiot and take my chances with the rest of the guards. I could throw her over my shoulder and make a run for it.  
  
  
_ Kakarot kept his eyes to the ground, brow furrowed in concentration, weighing the pros and cons of giving in to her request. She could see he wasn’t completely convinced.  
  
  
“Kakarot,” she pleaded, pulling his attention back to her. “It’s all he’s ever wanted. Please don’t take that from him because of my mistakes.”   
  
  
Vegeta stepped closer to her, put one hand in hers, and interlaced their fingers. The other hand went to her hip, pulling her back into his chest. He leaned into her neck and whispered into her ear.  
  
  
“Woman... Bulma...please don’t do this.”  
  
  
The sound of her name from his lips made her stomach flutter. She turned her head to the side and graced him with a genuine smile, squeezed his hand once, and turned back to Kakarot to await his decision.  
  
  
“Okay Bulma. You can have until tomorrow if you _promise_ you won’t put up a fight. I can get in real big trouble if anyone finds out I caught you and let you go, especially with my dad. He’ll be so mad at me,” Kakarot said nervously as he held out his pinky for her to take with hers.   
  
  
Bulma gave him a small sad smile and hooked her pinky with his, sealing her promise. She was happy she’d be able to follow through with her promise to Vegeta but they only had tonight together. After tonight she'd never see him again. The thought alone hurt her more than she had anticipated.  
  
  
“One more thing! The only way I’ll agree to it is if I come with you guys. No offense but I don’t really trust that you won’t try to run away again,” he said sheepishly, worried they wouldn’t want to be his friend. She could see herself being his friend, if he wasn’t planning to drag her into a dungeon where she would subsequently spend the rest of her life alone.  
  
  
“Okay.”  
  
  
“Absolutely not!” Vegeta yelled.   
  
  
“Vegeta, we’re out of options and you know it. You’re seeing the damn dragon and if this is the only way to do it so be it,” she huffed and crossed her arms.  
  
  
He sighed and pressed his forehead to the back of her shoulder, knowing no matter what he said she wouldn’t be changing her mind. Burning hatred for the man in front of him slowly blossomed in his chest. Despite almost dying and the run in with his father the last two days, if he included today, have been the best of his life. He had genuinely never been happier and the fool in front of him was ruining it. Kakarot was going to take away the only person Vegeta ever truly cared about and once he did, he’d never see her again.  
  
  
He didn’t want to be alone again, and he didn’t want to leave Bulma’s side but he had to step away from her. He didn’t want to do or say anything he would regret and the anger was building at a rapid pace. Without another word he released her, turned around, and walked away from her.  
  
  
“Vegeta wait!” she yelled in his direction. He ignored her and kept walking. When he was sure they weren’t following him, he circled back and grabbed Bulma’s bag out of the bush he had hidden it in, shoving it inside his hoodie, and walked further into the forest.  
  
  


* * *

“Should we follow him?” Kakarot asked hesitantly. He felt like he had just witnessed an argument between his parents, one that was his fault. He didn’t know either of them but he had heard stories about Bulma, mainly about her crimes. He had no idea who Vegeta was but he could tell they care about each other. Vegeta especially based off of what he's seen in the very short amount of time he's known them.   
  
  
Saiyans mate for life and he could tell just by witnessing their interactions that Vegeta had chosen his mate, whether he realized it or not. Bulma knew how Vegeta felt about her, otherwise she wouldn’t have asked him stay quiet on the matter. Their relationship was obviously complicated and he genuinely felt bad knowing he was one of those complications.  
  
  
“No, he’ll find us. We’ve come too far for him to leave now. Seeing the dragon really mean a lot to him. We're so close now that even if he’s mad at me he’ll come back. I wasn’t lying when I said it’s all he’s ever wanted.”  
  
  
“Can I ask you a question Bulma?”  
  
  
“Sure.”  
  
  
“You said he’s eighteen and hasn’t left home before right? Why is that? Why couldn’t he leave?”  
  
  
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can’t answer that. It’s not my story to tell. Even if it was I... You just need know he’s had a really shitty life. He’d never met another person besides his father until he met me yesterday. It’s just a really bad situation. I want to thank you though, for letting me have until tomorrow. It means a lot to me.”   
  
  
They continued to walk in silence for a bit, each lost in thought until Kakarot broke the silence.  
  
  
“I am sorry Bulma. I really am. I like you and Vegeta, even though he doesn’t like me. I can tell you’re not a bad person. I don’t know why you steal but I can tell it’s not because you’re mean or trying to hurt people. I don’t want to have to take you in but I have to. I hope you understand. It would make me really happy if maybe we could be friends.”  
  
  
“Yeah Kakarot, maybe.”

* * *

They continued to walk through the forest for a while. Unfortunately for Bulma, Kakarot liked to talk. At first she was annoyed, considering the man intended on basically ruining her life tomorrow morning but she found herself enjoying having someone to talk to. Vegeta wasn’t big on conversation and the most he's said to her since meeting him was during their conversation in the cave. Even then, he just asked her questions about herself.   
  
  
The problem was that she liked Kakarot and not just because he was someone to talk to. He made her laugh in a goofy little brother sort of way. He told her all about himself, all about his parents, and he asked her for advice on how to approach women. He was having trouble gathering the courage to talk to the palace cook and he didn't have any friends to talk to about it.   
  
  
She learned he was dropped on his head when he was younger, resulting in a severe case of brain damage which apparently was no big deal to him. He said because of this he acts a lot different than the other Saiyans. As an outcast, he's a hard time making friends since they considered him different.   
  
  
Bulma felt bad for him and she wanted to be his friend, but she knew there wasn’t anyway for that to happen. Not unless he intends to visit her in her prison cell to keep her company, unless they executed her for her crimes. She was going to tell him that as a joke, but she could tell he already felt guilty for having to turn her in. She didn’t want to make him feel worse.   
  
  
“Where are we going Kakarot? Shouldn’t we be going in that direction?” Bulma asked as she pointed East.  
  
  
“Yeah kinda. I thought we should take the long way there, like the back way. I figured walking near the main road would be bad 'cause someone might recognize you. My house is this way too. I thought maybe you’d want to shower and rest a little. I can go to the marketplace and get you and Vegeta different clothes. The guards saw what you’re wearing remember? It will be a lot harder to sneak around and there's still a few hours until the sun goes down.”  
  
  
She was surprised by his train of thought. In the very short time she has known him she’s realized that brain damage made him a little...unique. Dumb wasn’t quite the right word but he wasn’t quite as smart as most people she had met. She was so wrapped up in everything that had happened in the last 24 hours, she didn’t even realize what Kakarot said is true. They would have walked into the capital and been spotted immediately.   
  
  
“Wow thank you Kakarot, really. I hadn’t even thought of that. We would have been screwed the moment we stepped foot in the capital. What if...you won’t get in trouble? What if someone sees you with us?”  
  
  
“Nah, it will be okay. I live sorta far from there. It’s nice to get away from all that when I spend most of my time there. They’re not expecting me back until tomorrow. Plus, Vegeta’s gotta see the dragon right! I did promise to let you have until tomorrow. I don’t break promises either. Speaking of, are you sure Vegeta is following us? I haven’t seen him but I haven’t really been paying attention.”  
  
  
“Yeah he is.”  
  
  
“How do you know?”  
  
  
“I don’t know how to explain it, I just do. Like I said, we’ve come too far and he’s my friend. He’s mad at me right now but he wouldn’t leave me.”  
  
  
“What if he did though? What if he decided to go home?”  
  
  
“Well, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be sad but it’s his choice to make. He hasn’t had the ability to make decisions on his own. I wouldn’t take that away from him. I’m selfish but I’m not an asshole.”

* * *

The woman was right, they had come too far. Even if they hadn’t, he wouldn’t have left her, no matter how angry he was at her and their overall situation. He stayed a fair distance away from the Bulma and Kakarot. Far enough the woman couldn’t see him following them but close enough he could hear their conversation clearly. He didn’t like Kakarot at all. In fact, he despised him. He was the reason he was going to lose literally the only thing he had ever come to care about, other than himself. He was acting like he cared about what happened to Bulma, like he was her friend. Now he was taking them to his home, and Bulma was okay with it.  
  
  
He knew how smart she was so he didn’t understand why she was trusting the clown that would lead her to her demise. He was offering them a place to stay for a while, clean clothes, and a way to sneak into the capital. Why? It didn’t make any sense to him. What reason did he have to help the criminal he had been chasing for a while?  
  
  
He listened intently to the conversation the two were having partially because there was nothing else to do while walking, partially because he was nosy and wanted to hear what was said, should he become a topic of conversation. He had started to zone out, their random conversations were starting to bore him, until he heard them say his name.  
  
  
 _She knows I won’t leave her? How does she know that? Am I making it obvious how attached to her I have become? Is she attached to me too? She said she would be sad if I left her. She wouldn’t say that if she didn’t care for me right? She’s giving me a choice to leave or stay? I’ve never had choices before. I’ve always been told what to do and when to do it.  
  
  
_ Bulma and Kakarot arrived at his home around midday, Vegeta wasn't too far behind them. The first thing Bulma noticed before they even entered the home was a note pinned to the front door.  
  
  
 _“Kakarot, report to the palace as soon as you see this. We need to discuss the next steps in our plan to capture the thief - Father”_   
  
  
Kakarot pulled the note off the wall and crinkled it into a ball. Sighing, he opened the door and let Bulma in. The home was small, but perfect for a single Saiyan. It was very plain and had little decor aside for one framed picture. It was a picture of Kakarot with who she assumed was his parents. Once they were inside, he cracked the door knowing Vegeta would eventually join them.   
  
  
He walked in and went straight to the door on the right side of the living area. After disappearing for a couple of minutes he returned to the living area where Bulma was doing her best not to snoop.  
  
  
“I’m sorry Bulma but I need to meet my father at the palace. If I don’t go soon he’s going to come back here looking for me and we don’t want that. He won’t care about Vegeta’s birthday and he’d arrest you right away. The bathroom is the door on the left. There are clean towels under the sink.”   
  
  
"Oh and if you’re tired you’re more than welcome to take a nap in my room or on the couch. The bedroom is the door on the right. There’s clean clothes in my closet if you need something to wear until I get back. My mom brought food over so if you guys are hungry go ahead eat. I’ll try and be back as soon as I can.”  
  
  
He was about to leave the small house but stopped before walking out the door. The look of unease on Bulma’s face made him pause.  
  
  
“Is something wrong Bulma?”  
  
  
“No, nothing’s wrong Kakarot.”  
  
  
“Hmm...I don’t believe you but if you don’t want to talk about it I won’t bug you. I know we just met but I hope you trust me. I promise I won’t let you get captured until tomorrow. I mean, I’ll do my best not to.”  
  
  
He gave her a small hesitant smile, hoping she would trust that he wasn’t going to rat them out the moment he stepped foot back in the palace. He really did like her and he wanted a friend.   
  
  
“Okay Kakarot, I trust you.”  
  
  
“Okay great! I’ll make sure to grab some really cool clothes for you and Vegeta while I’m out! Bye!” 

* * *

Even though she technically had a bath considering how much she swam in the cave, she felt disgusting. She had been wearing the same clothes for almost a week which was a new record for her. She was about to enter the bathroom when she heard the front door open and close. Glancing towards the door she saw Vegeta walk into the house, locking the door behind him.   
  
  
She knew he was mad at her but she couldn’t help but smile at him. His hands were in his pockets and he was looking at the floor.   
  
  
“Where did the clown go?”  
  
  
“His father summoned him to the palace. He was afraid if he didn’t go right away he'd come looking for him. He’s gonna bring us clean clothes back too. He said there’s food in the kitchen if we’re hungry which I know you are.”  
  
  
“I’m not hungry. I’m fine.”  
  
  
As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly. His cheeks turned crimson once she started laughing at him.  
  
  
“Shut up. I'm not hungry.”  
  
  
“Whatever you say handsome. I don’t know about you but I feel gross. Kakarot said we could wear some of his clothes until he gets back with whatever it is he gets us.”  
  
  
“I refuse to wear anything that belongs to that idiot,” he huffed and crossed his arms.  
  
  
“Suit yourself. I’m going to take a shower and put on whatever he has that will fit me, until he comes back anyways.”  
  
  
“What is a shower?”  
  
  
“...What?”  
  
  
“You heard me woman! What is a shower?”  
  
  
“You...you’ve never taken a shower before? You smell so good though.” As soon as she said it, she wanted to take it back. Not only because she admitted she had been smelling him, but because she pointed out his naivety. The more she thought about it, the more obvious it would be. The tower didn't even have electricity, it's not surprising to think it wouldn't have running water. Now she wanted to ask exactly how he bathed.  
  
  
His cheeks turned red again. She could see that small compliment flustered him. That and the fact that she had pointed out something else he had no knowledge about.   
  
  
“Come on I’ll show you.”  
  
  
She outstretched her hand for him to take. Holding his hand always seemed to mellow him out and she could see he was irritated. She had an idea, but she wasn’t sure if it was a good one and she didn’t know when Kakarot would be back. She also wasn’t sure how Kakarot would react should he come back sooner than expected.   
  
  
She couldn’t deny the fact that she was extremely attracted to Vegeta and had been since she first saw him. He may have thought her comments on his muscles and calling him handsome was her way of flirting for the sake of flirting but it wasn’t, not entirely.   
  
  
The kiss they shared in the cave was probably the most passionate kiss she’s ever had. She wasn’t a virgin but she wasn’t exactly experienced either. It’s hard to be intimate with someone when you trusted no one, except Vegeta. She trusted him. They hadn’t discussed it yet but she knew once she was arrested, he would go back to the tower. He wouldn’t really have any other choice. If things were different and she wasn’t a criminal, she would have asked him to come with her instead of going back. Even if she didn’t ask him she was almost positive he would ask her if he could stay with her.   
  
  
She couldn’t imagine him going back to that tower, to live out the rest of his days alone and confined. She thought about suggesting he stay with Kakarot but based on his attitude towards the friendly Saiyan, she knew the mere suggestion wouldn't go over well. After the incident in the cave she had made a decision. She wanted to be with him every way possible, if given the chance. She had assumed they would have more time, but that was no longer an option. She couldn’t let him go back to his own personal hell without knowing what it’s like to be with someone, someone that legitimately cares about him. All of this was running through her head when she told him to follow her.  
  
  
Once in the bathroom, she released his hand, locked the door behind them, and turned on the shower. She opened the counter under the sink and pulled out a couple of clean towels before turning back to Vegeta.  
  
  
“This is a shower? It’s a form of bathing? Why didn’t you say so?”  
  
  
“I don’t know I guess it’s easier to show you than to try to describe it. Do you want to take a shower? You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she asked shyly.   
  
  
“I suppose I could bathe after you do. The cave water wasn’t sufficient.” He turned to leave the bathroom but she grabbed his hand to stop him.   
  


“I was thinking you could shower with me.”  
  
  
For once in her life she actually felt a little nervous. There was a good chance he would turn her down. Not because he didn’t want to be intimate with her but because it was uncharted territory. Even if he turned her down for an innocent reason like that, she knew it would still sting a bit.  
  
  
Vegeta's facial expression changed once the words left her mouth. He swallowed nervously and his eyes widened almost comically. He knew what she was asking but he felt like he needed clarification before agreeing.   
_  
  
_“A-a-are you...are you asking me to bathe with you...without...without clothes on?” he asked nervously.  
  
  
She wanted to laugh at the expression on his face but she knew if she did he would leave. He would assume she was making fun of him which she wasn’t. Asking someone to shower with them should be pretty straight forward and self explanatory.   
  
  
“Yes. Unless you don’t want to, or you can keep your clothes on if you’re more comfortable that way.”  
  
  
She leaned into him and ran one hand through his hair while she kissed him on the cheek and then along his jawline.  
  
  
“O-o-okay," he mumbled. His cheeks were already turning red. He blushed so often when around her that one might think his cheeks were sunburned.  
  
  
 _If his cheeks are red just mentioning showering together I can’t wait to see how red they are once we're undressed.  
  
  
_ She smiled against his cheek before trailing kisses down his face until she got to his lips. He was already starting to breathe heavily and she hadn't really even touched him yet. They kissed for a few minutes before Bulma intensified it by licking his bottom lip and sucking it in between her teeth. He hadn’t been touching her, just standing there awkwardly with his fists clenched at his side, until she did that. The action seemed to have snapped him out of his trance. One hand went to the back of her neck and the other went to the small of her back, kissing her as if his life depended on it. Breaking their kiss, she reached down to the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.   
  
  
As soon as his shirt went over his head and his face was uncovered, his mouth was back on hers. His hands went to the hem of her shirt, wanting to repeat her actions but he stopped. Instead of pulling her shirt off like she had done to him, his hands froze. She pulled away from their kiss and smiled at him. Before he could overthink the situation she pulled her shirt over her head and threw it on top of his shirt on the floor.  
  
  
He sucked in a breath one he saw her topless standing in front of him in only a thin bra. Thankfully she started kissing him again, hoping to calm his nerves. He was extremely nervous about what was happening and what was most likely about to happen.  
  
  
The room had started to fill with steam, coating their skin in a thin layer of moisture. Bulma’s hands went to the button of his jeans and paused. Not wanting to overwhelm him or make him uncomfortable, she pulled away from their kiss again and looked into his eyes, wordlessly asking his permission to completely undress him. She could practically hear his heart beating out of his chest.   
  
  
He didn’t answer right away, making her second guess her forwardness. Bulma looked down at the ground and started to remove her hands from his waist but he grabbed them, and held them where they were. When her eyes glanced up at him he released her hands, nodded, and leaned in to kiss her again.   
  
  
Bulma quickly began unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. Once she had his pants unbutton she pushed them down his hips and he removed them for her. His hands were still planted in polite places like her cheek and her lower back, afraid of overstepping any boundaries she may have. Sensing his hesitation, she placed his hands on the hem of her jeans, hoping he'd take the hint that it was okay for him to undress her too. He tried to unbutton her jeans but couldn’t because his hands were trembling. Instead of removing his last article of clothing, she placed his face in her hands and leaned away slightly so she could look into his eyes.  
  
  
“It’s okay. It’s just me. You don’t need to be nervous and don’t you dare tell me you’re not.”  
  
  
She smiled, knowing he would insist he wasn’t nervous. He frowned but leaned in to kiss her again. The kiss started on her lips and slowly moved down her jaw and to her neck. Her hands never leaving his face she whispered into his ear.  
  
  
“If you are uncomfortable at any time we can stop. I won’t mind. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable with me. You have a choice. You’ll always have a choice,” she mumbled as he started to suck on her neck. The trembling in his hands didn’t stop but it eased up as he unbuttoned her pants. She unclasped her bra, figuring Vegeta's trembling hands wouldn't be able to manage the task, and threw it onto the growing pile of clothes on the bathroom floor.   
  
  
Vegeta stopped sucking on her neck and gasped as he stared at her now bare breasts. His breathing increased as his already hard erection became harder than he thought was possible. His eyes widened when she grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts.   
  
  
“You can touch me wherever you want Vegeta. You can do whatever you want to me. I want you to. Please," she said to him quietly. He licked his lips, nodded, and placed his head on her shoulder, leaning on her but looking down to watch his hands as he gently played with her breasts with both hands. When his thumbs grazed her nipples she gasped and arched her back slightly, leaning further into his hands. He stopped instantly and pulled away from her completely.  
  
  
“Did...did I hurt you? I’m sorry,” he said quietly’  
  
  
“You didn’t hurt me. It feels good, really good. I was just surprised is all. Lets get into the shower. You can keep touching me in there.”   
  
  
She slowly removed her pants and panties before taking a step into the shower. Vegeta joined her once she had her head titled back under the water. His cheeks were redder than she would have thought possible the moment he entered the shower. He tried to look anywhere but at her naked sex and she tried not to look straight at his erection but it was difficult for both of them. She could tell he was well endowed as soon as he got hard while they kissed but she was not expecting him to be as big as he was.   
  
  
Instead of touching him like she wanted to, she moved him under the water and grabbed the soap. After lathering up her hands, she pulled him out from under the water and began washing his hair. He groaned as her fingers massaged the soap into his scalp. As if they moved on their own accord, his hands went to her hips and pulled her closer as she washed him. His tail slowly swayed back and forth behind him, proving he was content with her actions.  
  
  
Once his hair was nice and clean she moved on to wash other parts of his body, starting with his shoulders and moving lower and lower. The closer she got to his cock the more his body trembled. When she got to his inner thighs he sucked in a breath and grabbed her hands to stop her. She looked up at him questionably only to see him breathing heavily with his eyes closed tightly.  
  
  
“Do you want me to stop?” she said quietly as she stood to kiss his neck and behind his ear.  
  
  
“No," he murmured breathlessly. “I just...I’ve never-"   
  
  
She smiled into his neck, adoring how nervous he was. “I know Vegeta. It’s okay. If you want me to stop, tell me.”  
  
  
Her hands traveled back between his legs but before she could touch him again he buried his head into her neck and mumbled against her neck, so quietly if he hadn’t been close to her ear she would have missed it.   
  
  
“Can I touch you?”  
  
  
She smiled as she ran one hand through his hair while the other hand gently rubbed the inside of his thighs, every so often grazing his cock, causing him to shiver and gasp.  
  
  
He grabbed the soap like she had and lathered up his hands before running his hands through her hair. She closed her eyes and sighed as he massaged her scalp. With her eyes closed, Vegeta had the opportunity to stare at her body without feeling like a creep. His eyes went from hers all the way to her feet and back to her face, taking in every curve, and mentally listing all the places he wanted to touch her.  
  
  
After rinsing out her hair he slowly ran his hands up and down her sides. He made his way back to her breasts and rubbed them with just as much enthusiasm as he had when she first removed her top, giving her hardened nipples extra attention now that he knew it pleased her. Each time she let out a small moan, his heart would skip a beat.   
  
  
Once he reached the apex of her legs he froze, conflicted over whether or not to touch her there. He _wanted_ to, but he wasn’t sure whether he should. He had no idea what he was doing as is and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself, even if she was already aware of his inexperience.  
  
  
Sensing his hesitation, she covered his trembling hand with hers and placed it over her lower lips. His eyes went down to her hand and back up to her eyes, taken aback by her actions. When a sudden wave of bravery hit him, he slowly and gently started to explore her with his fingers. He could feel how wet she was and followed the wetness to her opening, making her gasp. Knowing he would assume he hurt her, she buried her face into his neck like he did to her and began kissing him there.  
  
  
After coating his finger with her wetness he brought them to his face to examine them. The smell was intoxicating. He realized then it was the same scent he had smelled back in the tavern when he rubbed her thigh with his tail. The scent he was smelling was her arousal. She had been wanting him since then and the thought made his ego swell with pride. Unable to resist, he sucked on both fingers and let out a small moan.   
  
  
“You taste so good,” he mumbled against the side of her face. As he slid his hand between her legs, hoping for another taste, he grazed a small nub, causing her to buck into him and gasp. He paused, once again thinking he had hurt her. Sensing the reason for his hesitation she smiled into his neck.   
  
  
“You didn’t hurt me. That feels really good.”  
  
  
“Show me how to touch you. I want to make you feel good,” he rasped.  
  
  
She placed his thumb over her clit and slowly rubbed it in circles. Once he got the hang of it she released his hand and continued her assault on his neck. He was a quick learner and in no time at all she could feel her orgasm building. She paused his hand and guided his fingers to her moist entrance.   
  
  
“Don’t stop please,” she whispered into his ear. She began bucking into his hand as he did as he was told. She lifted one leg to wrap it around his hip, wanting to be as close to him as possible. He hooked his arm under her leg and continued his ministrations. Even though she was the one about to tip over the edge, he was panting just as hard as she was, nuzzling his nose against her cheek before kissing her within an inch of her life.  
  
  
“I’m going to...I’m-" was all she could say before her orgasm hit her full force. She moaned and thrust into his hand while her body quivered around his fingers. It was the most erotic and intense thing Vegeta had ever witnessed. His cock was so hard it was almost painful. The look on her face was one of bliss and satisfaction and he wanted to spend the rest of his life looking at that expression.  
  
  
She moved his hand away after she came down from her orgasm and placed it on her breast, his other hand kept holding her thigh around his hip. His cock was hard and straining between their two bodies. Wrapping one arm around his neck, she used the other to slowly stroke his cock from base to tip. His body shivered as his breathing sped up. Closing his eyes he placed his forehead against hers as she continued. She knew she could make him cum within minutes but she didn’t want him to, at least not in her hands.   
  
  
“Vegeta," she whispered as she slowed the movement of her hand.  
  
  
“Hmm," he mumbled without opening his eyes.  
  
  
“Do you want to be inside me?” Instead of giving her an answer, his free hand went to her face, cupping her cheek gently as he kissed her softly.  
  
  
“Are you sure? I promise it’s okay if you aren’t ready,” she said against his lips.  
  
  
If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure if he was ready. He knew he wanted her, he wanted her more than he’s ever wanted anything in his life, dragon aside. But he was terrified, which is something he usually wouldn’t admit to, but this wasn’t a usual situation for him. He was afraid he would do something wrong or not do something well enough, even though so far everything he seemed to be doing was right. Despite all of his conflicting thoughts and emotions, he didn’t want the moment to end.   
  
  
He knew they didn’t have much time together which meant he wouldn’t have the chance to be with her like this again. The thought of never seeing her again hurt his chest, not just emotionally but physically. Knowing it wasn’t the time to think of such things, he pushed the thoughts aside and kissed her passionately.   
  
  
“I’m...I’m sure," he said against her cheek.  
  
  
Considering the small amount of space they had in the shower, he knew there was only one position that would allow him to look into her eyes while he was inside her. Hoping that he didn’t seem too eager, the hand hooked under her leg traveled to her ass as the other hand followed suit before lifting her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms both hooked around his neck.   
  
  
He didn’t enter her, he wanted her to set the pace. His hard cock was straining in between them as he looked into her eyes, hoping to convey his hesitation. He assumed she understood because she gripped his cock and lifted herself up before slowly lowering herself onto it. They both moaned louder than they intended to. To help remain balanced Vegeta pushed Bulma's back against the shower wall and used it as leverage. One of his hands stayed on her ass while the other went to the back of her head, pulling her even closer to him than she already was. She could feel his heart beating rapidly against her chest.  
  
  
 _Kami is real. The gods are real. This must be their form of apologizing. There is no other explanation to what I’m currently doing and what I’m feeling right now. I haven’t even moved, I’m simply sheathed inside of her and it’s the best feeling I’ve ever felt in my entire life. There are no words to describe this. I knew before but I know more so now, I cannot let her go. I will kill Kakarot if I have to. We will live our lives on the run from the kingdom if necessary. I will follow her to the ends of the planet. I cannot let her go.  
  
  
_ All his worries about Frieza, the tower, seeing the dragon, being inadequate and disappointing in her eyes, all of it vanished. All he could focus on was her. The way she felt, the way she smelled, how good she tasted, and how beautiful she was. She engulfed every one of his senses and he had never been happier.  
  
  
She began to rock back and forth on his length, signaling for him to move. Hesitantly and experimentally he began to thrust into her slowly. His tail wrapped around her waist tightly as he placed his forehead against hers.   
  
  
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly before bringing her lips to his.  
  
  
“Yes,” he mumbled. The anxiety and fear of being inadequate slowly melted away with each moan that escaped her lips. He could feel himself nearing his climax already which caused the anxiety to return in full force. He didn’t want her to be disappointed with how quickly he finished. The fear of disappointing her caused his thrusts to slow but not enough to stop, it felt too good to stop.  
  
  
“Are you going to cum for me?” she asked, taking his face in her hands and staring into his eyes. Embarrassed, he looked away from her face and stared at the ground as his cheeks turned pink. Instead of answering, he gave her a quick nod.   
  
  
“Look at me,” she said lovingly  
  
  
“It’s okay. It’s your first time. That’s how it’s supposed to be. I promise,” she said with a small smile before kissing his cheeks and his nose.  
  
  
“But...I want you to enjoy this. I want you to-” she silenced him with a kiss sliding her tongue into his mouth and biting his lip, causing him to groan and pump into her harder.  
  
  
“Vegeta, do I sound like I’m not enjoying myself? You already gave me one orgasm and I guarantee you you’ll do it again. You feel so good inside of me.”  
  
  
He started to pump into her faster, snapping his hips quickly and tipping his head back to groan with pleasure. She placed one hand in his hair, grabbed a handful, and pulled his head down forcefully towards her so she could kiss him again. The action sent an unexpected jolt of pleasure straight to his swollen cock. As he moaned into her mouth he increased the intensity of his thrusts even further, pushing her closer to her next orgasm.  
  
  
“God Bulma...I...I’m,” he managed to say breathlessly as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.  
  
  
“Me too," she panted. He could feel her walls begin to quiver around his cock, just like they had around his fingers. It felt so good, too good, and he couldn't hold back any longer. Sensing he was about to cum she cupped his face in her hands.  
  
  
“Look at me,” she said, their lips almost touching. The intensity of the emotion she could see in his eyes sent her over the edge, and he quickly followed. He tried as hard as he could to keep his eyes open while his cum filled her but he couldn’t. He threw his head back and made a noise that was a mixture of a growl and a moan. Having never felts something so intense and euphoric, his knees began to buckle.   
  
  
Neither one of them spoke as they both struggled to catch their breath. She leaned into his chest and rested her forehead against his neck. She was afraid things would be awkward and he would uncomfortable after what they just did but that fear quickly vanished once she felt his chest rumble as he began to laugh. Surprised, she lifted her head to look at him. She would never forget what she saw.   
  
  
He was smiling, a full crooked smile, the first one she had ever seen. She had seen his cocky arrogant smirk and an assortment of angry frowns, but never a smile this genuine. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Unable to resist, she kissed the sides of his mouth with a smile to rival his own.  
  
  
“What’s so funny handsome?”  
  
  
“Nothing just laughing at the cosmic joke that is my life. I finally find something, someone, that makes me happy and-” he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Growling, he set her down gently, removing himself from her in the process. He stood in between her and whatever enemy may be standing on the other side of the door.  
  
  
“Hey guys, it's just me!” Kakarot said cheerfully.  
  
  
“Go away Clown!”   
  
  
“Haha okay Vegeta!” he laughed as if the anger evident in Vegeta’s tone was an act.  
  
  
“I just wanted to let you know I’m back. I’ll set your new clothes outside of the bathroom door. I’ll try and make us something to eat before we go to the capital. I checked and it looks like a majority of the palace guards are still out looking for you guys. You shouldn’t have any issues going unnoticed.” Kakarot continued to talk to them through the door as if Vegeta and Bulma weren’t naked and busy on the other side.  
  
  
“Thanks Kakarot. We’ll be out in a minute," Bulma said as she giggled, knowing Vegeta was irritated with him. Kakarot’s interruption was welcomed, at least to her it was. She knew Vegeta was upset about her decision to turn herself in for his sake. She didn't want to discuss it with him in private. In private he would be more open with her and it would make her decision even harder to go through with. 

  
“Let’s go handsome,” she said from behind him as she reached over and turned off the water. She leaned up to him and kissed his shoulder before trying to move past him to exit the shower. He turned to face her and stopped her by placing his hands on her hips. He looked at her with an expression she couldn’t quite place before he looked down at the ground.  
  
  
“Lets...lets just stay here," he mumbled. She smiled and placed his chin between her fingers and thumb, pulling his face up to look at her. Not sure what words she could say to ease the anxiety in his voice, she kissed him.   
  
  
“Come on. You have to be hungry.”  
  
  
He gave her a small nod and released her hips, taking one step out of the shower and one step closer to the end of their time together.

* * *

Bulma was pleasantly surprised at the clothes Kakarot had gotten them. He stuck to the basics, leggings and a form fitting hooded navy blue sweater that went right to the top of her thighs, and a black jacket. Vegeta wasn't happy to see Kakarot had also brought her a new bra and panties. He placed his hand behind his neck and smiled sheepishly with pink cheeks once he saw the glare Vegeta shot at him when they picked up the pile of clothes he had left for them.  
  
  
He brought Vegeta a pair of black tight fitting pants, a black jacket, a new pair of boots, and a dark grey button up shirt. He seemed to like the fact that the jacket had a lot of pockets more than anything.   
  
  
“These are great Kakarot. Did you pick all of this out yourself? No offense but I hadn’t expected you to have great fashion sense and a pretty good gauge on sizes.”  
  
  
“To be honest all I did was help with the sizing. It was a lucky guess. I’m glad I guessed right! I went and spoke to Chi-Chi like you suggested! I told her I needed help buying some clothes for a friend, one being a girl and I didn’t know what to get. So she went shopping with me!” He was smiling ear to ear, proud of himself for finally talking to her.  
  
  
“That’s great Kakarot. Thank you. For everything,” Bulma said as she leaned in to hug him. He gladly hugged her back tightly with a smile on his face, happy he had made an actual friend. The growl emanating from Vegeta’s chest made it known he was not happy with the display in front of him. Kakarot instantly released her and threw his hands up in the air, as if surrendering.  
  
  
“Chill out Vegeta. Friends hug remember?”  
  
  
“Friends...I’m your friend Bulma?” Kakarot asked in disbelief.  
  
  
“Of course you are silly. Only friends would help each other out the way you’ve helped us.” When she smiled up at him a huge smile spread across his face as he threw his arms around her and hugged her again, nearly knocking the air out of her.  
  
  
“Thanks Bulma! You’re my friend too!” he said to her happily. Seconds later Bulma was being yanked out of his arms forcefully. Once removed from Kakarot's death grip, she gasped for air but never stopped smiling at him.  
  
  
“Be careful you fool! She’s not Saiyan! You were hurting her!” Vegeta yelled standing in between Bulma and Kakarot with his tail wrapped snugly around her waist.  
  
  
“Oh man I’m sorry if I hurt you Bulma!”   
  
  
“It’s okay Kakarot, you didn’t hurt me...you just...made it a little hard to breathe,” she chuckled and placed a hand on Vegeta’s shoulder, hoping he’d take the hint and calm down.  
  
  
After scarfing down enough sandwiches to feed a small human army, the two Saiyans were finally ready to leave. It was a little after midday and their walk to the capital would take about an hour or two, depending on whether or not they had to stop for some reason. The three had started to walk through the forest when Vegeta stopped suddenly.  
  
  
“What’s wrong Vegeta?”  
  
  
“I left my jacket at the house. I’ll be right back. Keep walking. I’ll catch up,” Vegeta while avoiding eye contact with Bulma.  
  
  
“Okay,” Bulma said while narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.   
  
  
_I could have sworn he was wearing it when we left. He was fascinated with the pockets. M_ _aybe I wasn’t paying attention. Kakarot was talking my ear off.  
  
  
_ Once back at the house Vegeta grabbed his jacket. It was right where he had purposely left it, on a chair in the kitchen. He shrugged it on as he walked out of the house and up to an aging tree. Looking around to ensure no one was watching, he stuck his hand into a hole in between the large tree roots and pulled out Bulma’s bag, After shoving it into his jacket pocket as best as he could, he zipped up his jacket and followed after Bulma and Kakarot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hopefully this chapter wasn't too far out of left field considering no pit stop was ever made and there was no heavy petting or smut in Tangled (which should go without saying).
> 
> I felt like it was needed to bring them even closer to one another before things go down hill for them. 
> 
> You should be well aware that's coming, even if you haven't seen movie so don't @ me :)
> 
> In Tangled Flynn Rider (Bulma's character) is an extremely wanted man with a hefty reward on his head for his capture. It was always weird to me how they march right into the capital where the palace is and casually walk around without any sort of hood or disguise. His face is on wanted posters and the guards knew what he was wearing. I obviously overthink Disney movies but it bugs me so I thought I would address that here since I get to choose how things go.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter


	6. Fluitantis Lumina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreams come true but not for long

When agreeing to bring Vegeta to see the dragon, Bulma hadn’t really thought about what they would do or how Vegeta would act once in the capital. Getting from Point A to Point B then back to Point A had been the plan, originally. Obviously the plan did not go as expected for everyone involved. Considering how uncomfortable Vegeta had been at the tavern, Bulma thought the capital would be too much for him to handle.  
  
  
Going from complete isolation to a busy market in the center of the city would be sensory overload for a normal person, but of course Vegeta wasn't normal. He was taking in his surroundings and was surprisingly calm about it all, at least he was on the outside.   
  
  
There were people of different shapes, sizes, species, and coloring. Each step he took filled his senses with a different smell, a different sight, and a different sound. It was amazing and overwhelming at the same time. Vegeta was torn between wanting to explore and wanting to cling to Bulma. So he did a bit of both but not before wrapping his tail around her or taking her hand in his. It was as if he thought someone would take her from him if he didn’t hold on to her.   
  
  
Bulma was not new to the marketplace or the capital in general. She had been to many different marketplaces in many different areas, this was nothing new to her. This time was different though, this time she was with someone that was completely engulfed in everything around him. It was as if she was seeing everything for the first time, only through his eyes. Their time together was not something she would forget but witnessing him experience everything for the first time was something she would treasure.  
  
  
Each new experience was followed by multiple emotions, emotions Bulma had learned to decipher during their short time together. Curiosity and awe were usually the first emotion she would see quickly slip past the mask of indifference he regularly wore. What followed was a look of anger or betrayal, possibly both. With each new experience came the realization of just how much his father had kept from him.  
  
  
His eyes widened when they walked into a bookstore but the look of awe was quickly replaced with a frown. Frieza had only given him a handful of books to read as he grew up. He had read them so many times he could practically narrate them without even glancing at the pages. Once he built up the courage, he asked him for new books. After being beaten nearly unconscious for 'being ungrateful', he was told the books he owned were the only ones in existence. The more time he spent outside the tower, the more he realized how naive he had been, how much Frieza had lied to him, about everything.

* * *

The sun was setting which meant people were going to start preparing for the dragon and the fireworks. Bulma had a couple of things she needed to get before that happened but she couldn’t while Vegeta had his tail wrapped around her waist like a vice. Convincing him to let her go was going to be a task, albeit a difficult one. Convincing him to stay with Kakarot while she was gone was going to be a bit trickier. During one of the few times Vegeta didn’t have his tail around her, Bulma quietly pulled Kakarot aside.  
  
  
“Kakarot I need another favor.”  
  
  
“Sure Bulma what’s up?”  
  
  
“I need you to keep Vegeta busy for a bit. I’ve got to go get a couple of things before they start launching fireworks and I want it to be a surprise. If he comes with me he’s going to argue with me the entire time. I know my way around so I won’t be gone long. He’s just a little...clingy. All of this is new to him and I think my presence is keeping him from freaking out.”  
  
  
 _Bulma is my friend now and you trust your friends. I want Vegeta to be my friend too. Maybe I can talk to him and prove I can be a great friend. I could tell him I’m sorry for having to turn Bulma in. I dunno if he’ll accept my apology though. Is Bulma going to go steal the stuff she needs? Do they have money? I can’t let her steal anything or that will be something else I can get in trouble for.  
  
  
_ “I know what you’re thinking Kakarot. I’m not going to go steal anything and you know I won’t runaway if Vegeta's still here. I have money see.” Bulma pulled out a decent amount of zeni from her pocket to prove she was telling the truth. “How I got that money is none of your business. It’s in the past.”   
  
  
Of course he knew how she got the money and it _did_ bother him but she was right, it was in the past.   
  
  
“Okay Bulma, I’ll stay with Vegeta. Do you think he’s going to be okay with that?”  
  
  
“Of course not.”  
  
  
With a heavy sigh, she walked over to Vegeta and prepared for the argument that was about to take place. She stood next to him as he watched a couple of kids chase each other around the courtyard they were in. Without taking his eyes off of the kids, his tail wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him. At this point she was sure his tail had a mind of it’s own and sought her out whenever she was near.   
  
  
“Do you want children?” he asked suddenly.  
  
  
The question completely caught her off guard, and the look on her face was proof. Her eyes widened and her mouth was suddenly dry when she tried to respond.  
  
  
“I-” she paused to clear her throat after hearing how high pitched her voice had suddenly become. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve never really thought about it. It’s hard to think about having a family when you don’t trust anyone and you don’t have an actual home.”  
  
  
“If you did have those things, a home and someone you trust, would you want children?”  
  
  
“I...I don’t know Vegeta.”   
  
  
Even though she wasn’t sure whether or not she wanted a kid when she was older, the look on his face told her he did. It was hard to picture Vegeta as a father. Not because he wouldn’t make a great one but because he was still very naive when it came to the outside world.  
  
  
“If I ever have children I would do everything in my power to make sure their lives are better than mine.”   
  
  
Desperate to take his mind off of the topic of their current conversation, she interlaced her fingers with his and kissed him gently and quickly on the lips. His cheeks turned a dark red and his eyes darted around wildly, hoping no one had witnessed her public display of affection.  
  
  
“Women! Are you insane!” he whispered loudly while scanning the crowd for possible witnesses. Giggling, she pulled him to the side of the courtyard where Kakarot was standing.  
  
  
“I need to do something really quick and I need you to stay with Kakarot while I do it. I’ll be right back I promise.”  
  
  
“I’ll go with you.”   
  
  
“No, I need you to stay with Kakarot.”   
  
  
“I am not letting you go anywhere alone and I’m definitely not staying here with this clown.”  
  
  
“First of all, you don’t ‘let’ me do anything. You don’t get to decide where I can and can't go. Secondly, I think we both know we owe Kakarot for everything he's done for us. The least you can do is show him an ounce of respect.”  
  
  
“Tch.”  
  
  
She had expected him to argue with her, to stomp his feet and walk away angry when she told him he couldn’t come with her. She was surprised to see a look of rejection which was quickly covered by his usual mask of indifference.  
  
  
“Vegeta, I’ll be right back I promise. The sun is going down which means the dragon's going to appear in about an hour or so. There’s a couple of things I need to take care of before that happens. I'll be back as soon as I can.”  
  
  
“I don’t understand why I cannot accompany you,” he said while frowning.   
  
  
“Do you trust me?”  
  
  
“Of course I do,” Vegeta responded without hesitation.  
  
  
“Then trust me when I say I need to do this alone.”  
  
  
He crossed his arms and looked away from her. She could see his fingers dig into his biceps as he debated whether or not to accompany her regardless of her request to go alone.  
  
  
“Fine," he said with a dejected sigh. She looked at Kakarot who was smiling back at her, happy he was going to get a chance to spend time with Vegeta.  
 _  
  
_She smiled and gave Vegeta a hug, winking at Kakarot over his shoulder. He held onto her as if it was the last time he’d see her. Technically it could be if she were to get caught wandering around the marketplace which is why he was so hesitant to let her go.  
  
  
“I’ll be back I promise,” she whispered into his ear before kissing his cheek. Reluctantly he let her go and covered the cheek she kissed with his hand, as if other people would be able to see it.  
  
  
“Here,” Bulma said as she placed a handful of zeni in Kakarot’s hand. She took a step back before he could refuse.  
  
  
“Buy some food for the both of you. Eat until you feel like puking and meet me at the small dock on the West side of the palace once the sun is down.”  
  
  
“Okay!” Kakarot said enthusiastically.   
  
  
She walked away and didn’t look back until she was about to turn a corner. She stopped to observe Vegeta, the anxiety he was attempting to conceal was more evident now that she wasn't by his side. She wanted to go back to him but she had things to do and not a lot of time to do it.

* * *

Spending time alone with Kakarot wasn’t as excruciating as he thought it would be. The fact that they had been eating since the moment Bulma left had something to do with it. Whenever he wasn’t chewing, he was talking. Thankfully he was talking about things that actually interested him. Whenever something caught Vegeta’s attention, Kakarot would stop and give him more information on whatever it was he was focused on.   
  
  
After purchasing a variety of different foods, they sat on the edge of a fountain that was in the center of a courtyard. Vegeta’s attention was immediately drawn to a large mosaic on the wall across from where they were sitting. Vegeta set his food down and walked closer to the picture. Judging by the crowns on their heads, he assumed the picture was of the king and queen. Both the king and queen had dark brown hair and brown eyes but the small baby the queen held had black hair and dark eyes. Both the king and the baby had a prominent widows peak and similar facial features. He had never met these people before but he had a weird sense of deja vu once he got a closer look at the picture.  
  
  
“That’s the lost prince. I’m sure Bulma told you already but the prince was kidnapped when he was a baby. The king and queen never stopped looking for him. That’s why everyone launches fireworks and the king and queen 'summon' the dragon on the Prince’s birthday. He’d be like 20 I think, or close to it. A lot of people think it’s sad that they can’t accept that he’s probably dead. Some people even think it’s dumb they waste people’s time by continuing their search.”  
  
  
“What do _you_ think?” Vegeta asked quietly as he continued to stare at the trio.  
  
  
Kakarot was actually a little surprised at his question. Vegeta had barely said a word to him since Bulma left and when he did, it was usually an insult. Now he was asking him a question but not just any question, he was asking him for his opinion.  
  
  
“I think if I was the prince I would wanna know that my parents never gave up hope. If they kept looking for me it means they miss me. It would mean they want me back. If they stopped looking after I was taken it would kinda seem like they didn’t care that much ya know? The fact that they’ve been looking for their son for nearly two decades proves just how much they miss him.”  
  
  
When Vegeta finally looked away from the painting and made his way back to his food, he noticed Kakarot staring at him with a weird look on his face.  
  
  
“What are you looking at fool?”  
  
  
“Sorry...just...you kinda look like the king a little,” he chuckled and shrugged.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
After the sun had almost set, the two Saiyans made their way over to the dock Bulma had instructed them to meet at. There was a small rowboat but aside for that there were no boats and or other people nearby. Kakarot sat at the end of the dock with his feet dangling over the edge while Vegeta sat with his legs and arms crossed behind him.   
  
  
“So when did you and Bulma become mates?” Kakarot asked, hoping to start a conversation with the grumpy man. Sitting in silence made him uncomfortable and it was obvious Vegeta wasn’t much of a talker. He remembered Bulma not wanting him to mention them being mated when they first met but he couldn't remember why that was or what else she said about them being together. He figured if Vegeta was going to willingly talk about anything it would be about Bulma.  
  
  
“What are you talking about?”  
  
  
“Well you’re mated aren’t you? You kiss her and your tail wraps around her a lot.”  
  
  
“What does that have to do with being mated?” he asked as his cheeks turned red.  
  
  
“Do you know what being mated to someone means?”  
  
  
“Of course I do! I’m not an idiot!” Vegeta said angrily and defensively which Kakarot knew meant he didn’t actually know about mating. He knew people would marry and considered their spouse their mate but he didn't think that's what Kakarot meant when he asked if he was 'mated' to Bulma.  
  
  
“I don’t think you’re an idiot Vegeta. Bulma said you hadn’t left home before and hadn’t met many people. I figured you may not know a lot about Saiyans if you haven’t been around them before. Doesn’t mean you’re dumb or anything. You just haven’t been told everything you should have been.”  
  
  
“That’s an understatement,” he scoffed and looked across the water. He wanted to know what Kakarot was talking about but refused to admit he didn’t know anything about Saiyan culture.  
  
  
“Well?”  
  
  
“Well what?”  
  
  
Vegeta sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he fought the urge to punch the man in the back of the head. “You were blabbering about mating. What about it?”  
  
  
“Oh! Well, Saiyans mate for life. It sorta just happens. You can meet a ton of people in your life but when you meet your mate you kinda just...know. Ya know? My dad said it’s like an immediate connected you feel with the other person. Of course it starts as a uh...physical...attraction but it turns into something else.”  
  
  
“What do you mean something else?”  
  
  
“Like, you’re drawn to them. You always want to be with them and are always worried about them. You can be really upset or emotional over something but your mate will be able to calm you down and make you feel better.”  
  
  
“And you know this from experience?”  
  
  
“Nah...Well...maybe. I just know all that because of my mom and dad. You can tell by looking at them that they love each other. I think Chi-Chi might be my mate though. I always wanna be with her and she makes me really happy when I’ve had a bad day. Plus my tail keeps trying to wrap around her but I've stopped it. She knows what it means and I don't wanna make her uncomfortable. I've shared food with her though so I think she knows how I feel about her.”  
  
  
If Kakarot had been facing Vegeta he would have seen Vegeta’s eyes widen and his arms slowly uncross at the mention of his tail.  
  
  
“What do you mean your tail really likes her? Why does sharing food with her matter?”  
  
  
“Oh well one of the biggest signs you’ve found your mate is by your tail. It kinda knows your mate before you do. I mean, it doesn’t have a brain of its own or anything crazy like that. I guess it’s like a subconscious thing. Your body senses when they’re near and without you realizing it your tail seeks them out. Aside for out mates the only time our tails will wrap around another person is if its our kids. Our tails are our most sensitive part of our bodies. It is also a Saiyans only weakness. I don’t know if you’ve ever realized but your body automatically wraps your tail around your waist whenever you’re not alone. It’s to protect it, to keep anyone from grabbing it. Saiyans don’t like their tails being touched, unless it’s their mate touching it. I never asked my dad _why_ our tails play such a big part when finding our mate but it does. Oh and offering someone food shows your interested in them as a potential mate. Saiyans usually only share food with their mate or kids.”  
  
  
“I...I...”  
  
  
Kakarot turned around to look at Vegeta and realized then that he didn’t know Bulma was his mate. The look on his face made that clear. If he didn’t know what mating was there was no way to know she was his mate. He didn’t know what the significance of his tail wrapping around Bulma meant. Which is why Bulma had asked him to drop the subject when they had been in the woods.  
  
  
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He was trying to think of something, _anything_ he could say to Vegeta to take the shocked look of his face but he didn’t have to. Bulma was walking towards them on the dock. He jumped up to greet her with a huge smile on his face.  
  
  
“Hi Bulma!”   
  
  
“Hey boys!” she said cheerily as she approached them with a two sacks in her hand.  
  
  
Kakarot glanced at Vegeta, hoping to see his pale face return to its natural tan color after hearing her voice. He blinked a few times before turning his head and glancing at her over his shoulder.  
  
  
“Have fun?” she asked Vegeta with a wink.  
  
  
“Oh we sure did didn’t we Vegeta?”  
  
  
“Hmpf.”   
  
  
“That’s good to hear! Here Kakarot.” Bulma smiled and tossed the large sack to him.  
  
  
Inside was an assortment of different fruits, sweets, and a bouquet of flowers, packaged in a hard plastic container to prevent them from getting squished.  
  
  
“What’s all this?” he asked with a confused look on his face as he rummaged through the bag.  
  
  
“The food is to keep you occupied while Vegeta and I find a good spot to see the dragon. The flowers are for you to give to Chi-Chi next time you see her. Girls love flowers. Tell her you saw them and they reminded you of her. I guarantee you’ll at least get a kiss out of it.”   
  
  
The thought of Chi-Chi kissing him made his cheeks turn red. Bulma had a feeling he may put up a fight if he asked him to leave the two of them alone. She also knew Vegeta would appreciate the whole experience if it was just the two of them. Kakarot had told her how hard he was working to get Chi-Chi’s attention and figured the flowers would help sway him to let them have time to themselves.  
  
  
“Geez Bulma thanks!” he said as he scooped her up and hugged her.  
  
  
“You’re welcome Kakarot. I’ll meet you back here before sunrise okay?” Bulma said giggling. Vegeta’s growls were barely audible over her laughter.  
  
  
“Okay! I’ll meet you here! I’m gonna go find Chi-Chi and give her these, then I’ll come back and wait here. Have fun!” Kakarot set the bag of food where he had been sitting on the dock and left with the flowers in hand. Once he was out of sight, Bulma’s attention went back to Vegeta.

* * *

Getting him into the small boat had been a lot harder than she had anticipated. People that almost drown tend to be a little skittish around water. After a kiss and the promise of more, Vegeta hesitantly got into the boat with Bulma.   
  
  
“Woman, where are we going and why the hell did I need to climb into this floating death trap to get there?”  
  
  
“You're finally gonna see the dragon! You have to find a good spot,” she said with a small smile as she handed the oars to Vegeta. Surprisingly, he knew what to do with them without her having to explain. Once they were a decent distance from the palace, Bulma took the oars from him and set them on the side of the boat.  
  
  
“Oh! I have something for you!”   
  
  
Excitedly, she reaching into her pocket and pulled out a long chain with a pendant attached to it. Leaning closer to him she wrapped her arms around his neck and clasped the chain. Once it was resting on his chest he picked it up to examine it. It was the same symbol he had seen throughout the capital. The symbol was of a trident with two lines small lines under the points and a semi circle underneath the lines.  
  
  
“What does the symbol mean? It was all over the marketplace.”  
  
  
“It’s the royal crest. It’s like the symbol of the town. A lot of vendors will sell stuff with the symbol on it. Sometimes when people visit they like to get a souvenir to remind them of their time here. I figured you could use one as well.”  
  
  
“As if I could ever forget my time here,“ he mumbled without taking his eyes off of the pendant in his hand.  
  
  
They sat in silence for a bit. Vegeta was being quieter than he usually was, indicating something was bothering him. She had a pretty good idea what that ‘something was’ but she asked anyways.   
  
  
“Okay spill. What’s wrong? You’re finally about to see the damn dragon and you look miserable.”  
  
  
He looked out across the water. He was purposely avoiding eye contact with her which usually meant he was uncomfortable saying whatever it is he had to say.  
  
  
“I’ve been dreaming about what it would be like to leave that damn tower and finally see the dragon up close. What if I'm disappointed? What if it’s not what I thought it would be?”   
  
  
“It will be.”  
  
  
“If it is, then what? I go back to that tower with nothing to wish for or to look forward to. I'll have achieved the one thing I've dreamed about for as long as I can remember.”  
  
  
Bulma leaned over and took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.  
  
  
“That’s the good part, you get to find a new dream,” she said with a smile and a kiss to his lips.   
  
  
When she pulled away he huffed and frowned at her once he opened his eyes. She laughed and signaled behind him with her chin. The king and queen had started the annual tradition for the lost prince. The intimidating image of the dragon Shenron illuminated the nights sky. Once the dragon was high in the sky, fireworks were launched all around the capital. Vegeta’s eyes widened and he gasped, nearly tipping over the boat when he scrambled to the opposite end of it, as if he could get a better look.  
  
  
The look on his face when he saw the dragon was something she would treasure for the rest of her life. Knowing she had helped make his dream come true was truly worth turning herself in at dawn. She had known before that she cared for Vegeta. Even though she cared, she had intended to get her bag from him by the end of their adventure. If he decided to tag along after that was up to him, she hadn’t planned that far ahead. She knew leaving him would be hard but she was prepared to do it if necessary. The moment the fireworks were launched things changed. The look on his face as he watched the fireworks explode around the dragon what she had been afraid of, she loved him.  
  
  
Within minutes hundreds of fireworks were exploding in the sky. Their reflection on the water made it look like there were double the amount than there actually was. It was the most amazing thing he had ever witnessed. It was everything he had been dreaming of and more. The only thing he hadn't pictured in his dream was the blue haired woman currently sitting behind him in their small boat. She had been an unexpected addition to his dream. Without her he wouldn’t be where he was.  
  
  
Bulma was sitting with an intimidating looking explosive in her hand with the biggest smile on her face. She took his breath away. Once he was sitting in front of her, she handed him the now lit firework. He placed it on the bottom of the boat in between them and watched as it was launched into the sky. His eyes were transfixed on it as it ascended into the sky and exploded into an array of colors above them.   
  
  
“I have something for you,” he said once the colors from their firework dissipated. Without making eye contact with her, he reached into his jacket and unfolded the bag that had been shoved into his pocket. Her eyes widened and a barely audible gasp escaped her lips when he handed it to her.   
  
  
“I wanted to give it to you earlier but I wasn’t sure if you-" he huffed. Angry with himself for not being able to say exactly what he wanted to. He ran his hand through his hair, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.   
  
  
“Everything has changed since I met you. I see things differently now. I know right here, right now, this is where I’m meant to be...with you.”  
  
  
Leaning in, she placed his face in her hands and pulled him closer to her. Her forehead rested against his as his tail wrapped around her waist. Sighing, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers as his hand went to the back of her neck to deepen the kiss. She opened her eyes to sneak a peak at him. She loved the way his face looked when he was kissing her. Movement on the beach behind Vegeta caught her attention before she had a chance to focus on his face. Nappa and Turles stood on the shore, staring directly at her.  
  
  
If Vegeta sensed that she was distracted, he didn’t show it. Wanting to be closer to her he got to his knees and inched between her legs so they were the same height. He pulled away from her lips, breathing heavily and looked down at the bottom of the boat.  
  
  
“I wanted to tell you...no I need to tell you that I-” he felt her fidget in the boat and looked up to see her looking at something behind him.  
  
  
“What’s wrong woman?” he asked, turning towards the shore.  
  
  
The look on her face made him uncomfortable. Even if she tried to deny it, he knew something was wrong.  
  
  
“Huh? Oh...nothing...I just...I need to dock the boat really quick.”  
  
  
He leaned away from her and sat back down, watching as she picked up the two oars and started rowing them to the beach, avoiding eye contact with him. Grabbing her bag, she jumped out of the boat once it was securely parked in the sand. Sensing his confusion and unease, she turned back to him and gave him a quick kiss.  
  
  
“I’ll be right back I promise.”  
  
  
“Okay. I’ll come with you,” he stood and started to get out of the boat to follow her.  
  
  
“No! Wait here please,” she said, louder than intended.  
  
  
He knew something was wrong and her behavior only increased the feeling of unease that was slowly creeping up on him. Crossing his arms, he narrowed his eyes at her.  
  
  
Sighing, she ran both her hands through her hair. “Vegeta do you trust me?”  
  
  
“Of course I do.”  
  
  
“Then please stay here. I will be right back,” she said with a small smile.  
  
  
He gave her a small nod and sat back down in the boat. Had this scene played out after he first met her, he would have followed after her, regardless of what she said. But things were different now. They both knew that. The fact that she started acting weird once he gave her the bag back should have bothered him, but it didn’t, her behavior did. He watched her retreating figure walk down the beach until he could no longer see her. Trying to distract himself, he turned back towards the water and watched as the fireworks continued to explode above him.

* * *

Bulma followed the large footprints in the sand until she found Nappa and Turles. Nappa was standing, leaning against a large rock and sharpening a knife. Turles was eating an apple, sitting on an old fallen tree, and humming.   
  
  
“Hey boys! I’ve been looking for you guys everywhere! I will admit, leaving you guys was a dick move on my part. As an apology, here's the crown. I’ll miss you guys, truly I will. Anyways, I've got things to do. People to see. Have a great night!”  
  
  
With a nervous smile she tossed her bag to Turles who caught it easily before turning to walk away. When she turned she smacked straight into Nappa’s chest. Taking a step back, she tilted her head to look up at the large man’s face. The smile that spread ear to ear made her extremely uncomfortable. She thought about screaming for Vegeta but even with his fighting skills the two very large men might be able to overpower him.   
  
  
“Holding out on us again?”  
  
  
“What? Of course not!” Nervously, she continued to back away from Nappa, only to run into Turles chest.  
  
  
“We heard you found something much more valuable than a crown,” said Turles with an equally creepy smile.  
  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We all know how valuable the crown is. I just don’t want any bad feelings between us. You guys can take it, it’s yours.”  
  
  
“We don’t want the crown, we want the boy instead”  
  
  
Fear and dread instantly overwhelmed her. She elbowed Turles in the stomach and tried to side step Nappa.   
  
  
“VEG-”   
  
  
As she began to run away, she tried to tell Vegeta to run, but before she could she was knocked unconscious.

* * *

_The woman has been gone a lot longer that I thought she would be. She said she would be right back but she’s still gone. What if something happened to her? What if she’s hurt? What if someone captured her? Last time we were separated outside of the capital Kakarot had found her and tried to take her. Is that what happened? What if she. . what if she ran off with her bag? No she wouldn’t do that, not after everything.  
  
  
_ He heard a small high pitched sound coming from further down the shore in the direction Bulma had gone. Jumping out of the small boat, he ran down the beach. Two of the largest men he had ever seen walked out of the trees that lined the beach and slowly approached him.  
  
  
“Who the hell are you and where is the woman?”  
  
  
“The woman is gone. She took the crown and left,” Turles said as he chuckled.  
  
  
“No. You’re lying! What did you do with her!” he yelled, clenching his fists at his side. He refused to believe she had left him.   
  
  
_They’re lying. They did something to her and are trying to distract me to avoid a fight. If they think I’d leave without the woman they’re idiots.  
  
  
_ “See for yourself” Nappa smirked and motioned towards the water with his chin.  
  
  
A few yards in the water he could see a small sail boat headed away from the shore. Standing at the boats helm with her back to him was Bulma, crown in hand.   
  
  
“Woman! Bulma!” he yelled as loud as he could, hoping she would turn around and change her mind. There was no way she would leave him intentionally. She had to have a good reason for leaving him alone and stranded after everything they had shared together.  
  
  
“Sorry kid. She’s not coming back. She made us a deal. The crown for the boy with the magic tail.”   
  
  
The look on his face must have clearly portrayed the shock and hurt he felt by that statement. The two men began laughing loudly as they approached him. Nappa lunged at him first but was too slow, Vegeta rolled out of the way and jumped into his fighting stance. Before he could charge Nappa, Turles landed on top of him and began to punch him in the face repeatedly.   
  
  
He would have been in a lot of pain had they not been rolling around outside, under a cloudless sky, shrouded in moonlight. He wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse. As soon as the first punch hit and broke his cheekbone, he felt the warmth spread across his face meaning his body was healing itself, and his tail was glowing.  
  
  
“Turles look!” Nappa yelled, pointing at Vegeta’s tail.  
  
  
Turles gasped and rolled off of Vegeta. “Holy shit. . it’s true! We’re going to be fucking rich!”   
  
  
Panicking, Vegeta rolled onto his side and tried to get to his feet. Nappa wrapped his arms around him from behind and squeezed. Vegeta thrashed around, trying to get out of his hold as Nappa drug him away from the shore and into the trees, preventing him from seeing the moon.  
  
  
“Let me go you assholes! Let me fucking go!” he yelled. The last 48 hours had almost made him forget what the feeling of helplessness was like as it washed over him harshly. Once under the cover of the trees, Turles approached Vegeta and began punching him again as Nappa held his arms behind his back. For once, he welcomed the pain. The pain from the punches was nothing compared to the pain he was feeling in his chest. The feeling of abandonment, betrayal, inadequacy, and naivety overwhelmed him.   
  
  
Darkness was creeping up on him, not from the trees that surrounded him but from the beating he was receiving. He heard rustling to his left and tried to turn to see what could have caused the noise but his vision was blurry and his head felt heavy.  
  
  
“What the hell are you doing here?” he heard Turles yell out angrily, followed by the sound of punches being thrown and bodies hitting the ground. His arms were suddenly released causing him to fall to the ground face first. Slowly he got on his hands and knees and paused, trying to clear his mind. If he could find his way back to the beach he could heal himself and go after Bulma. The pain in his head and face was overwhelming, making it nearly impossible to move. The silhouette of a man slowly appeared in his periphery as he collapsed. He squinted his eyes, trying as hard as he could to focus his vision as darkness began to consume him. The last thing he heard before he blacked out was the sound of a very high pitched familiar laugh.

* * *

Kakarot sat on the end of the dock, happily swinging his legs back and forth while watching the fireworks. He had watched Vegeta and Bulma launch their own from far away but stopped once they started kissing. He felt like he was intruding on a private moment. After giving Chi-Chi her flowers he waited for her to finish up in the kitchen to walk her home. She was so happy with them that she kissed him just like Bulma said she would.  
  
  
When she kissed him his tail wrapped around her waist making her blush. She grew up around Saiyans and knew what that meant. He was terrified she would be uncomfortable and push him away but she didn’t. She smiled at him and kissed him again. She was okay being his mate and Kakarot could not have been happier. Since returning to the dock he had been trying to figure out a way to let Bulma go without betraying his father and the king and queen. All of the different scenarios he came up with would result in someone getting hurt.   
  
  
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the tower guards ringing the bells and yelling. Quickly standing, he ran towards the source of the commotion. Bulma was unconscious and tied to the mast of the small sail boat she was in, the crown was tied to her hand. The ringing bells and yelling woke her up. She frantically began looking around and yelling for Vegeta.  
  
  
“VEGETA! VEGETA! WAIT HE’S IN TROUBLE! LET GO OF ME! VEGETA!” she yelled as the guards untied her and hauled her away.  
  
  
Kakarot stepped back, out of her line of sight, not wanting her to bring attention to the fact that they were friends. Running back to the dock he strained as hard as he could to look across the water, hoping to see anything that could tell him what happened to Vegeta. He knew Bulma didn’t want to be arrested but he also knew she wouldn’t lie about Vegeta being in trouble just to avoid capture. Something happened to him and it was bad.   
  
  
He knew he couldn’t help Bulma, at least not alone. If he tried to sneak into the dungeons and release her he would be just as wanted as she was. His father would never forgive him. Quickly coming up with a plan, he hopped into a small rowboat, and rowed as fast as he could to the only place he may be able to find people to help him rescue Bulma and her mate.


	7. Recrudescence

_Vegeta’s eyes slowly fluttered open as the sunlight streamed through the bedroom window. The room was unfamiliar but it was warm and comfortable. The pain he felt before blacking out was intense. Not just the physical pain but the pain of abandonment and rejection. When he was younger and Frieza began to beat him regularly, he never cried and it would irritate Frieza. The punishment would only increase in intensity because of it. Nothing upset him enough to trigger emotions strong enough to bring him to tears. At least not in the past, not until now. Thinking about everything that had happened in the past 48 hours was enough to change that.  
  
  
_ _His throat tightened and his eyes began to burn as he thought of Bulma’s face as she helped him light the fireworks. The smell of her hair after the shower they had taken together. The warmth of her body as they laid side by side in the cold wet cave. It overwhelmed him. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he laid in bed, eyes closed tightly, trying to control his breathing. Rolling onto his back, he covered his eyes with his forearm and tried to even out his breathing.  
  
  
_ _“What’s wrong handsome?”  
  
  
_ _Fear and anxiety washed over him at the sound of her voice, freezing him in place. He wanted so badly to see her face, to feel her body next to his again.  
  
  
_ _“You’re not real. . go away. . this is just a really fucked up dream. You left me.”  
  
  
_ _They laid side by side in silence, it was overwhelming. He slowly lowered his arm to turn towards her when he felt her hand on his cheek, turning his head to face her. The warmth of her hand on his face made him gasp, not expecting her to be real much less touching him. He wanted to believe she was actually lying next to him and refused to open his eyes.  
  
  
_ _“Look at me Vegeta.”  
  
  
_ _She ran her hand through his hair several times before wiping away the stray tears that escaped his eyes with her thumb. When he finally opened his eyes he was face to face with Bulma. She had one of her hands underneath her head while her other hand alternated between running the back of her hand along his jaw, wiping away his tears with her thumb, and running her fingers through his hair.  
  
  
_ _With a sharp intake of air, he reached out and pulled her closer to him, burying his head in her neck.  
  
  
_ _“You’re here," he said thickly, the lump in his throat still present.  
  
  
_ _“Of course I am.”  
  
  
_ _“Where are we?”  
  
  
_ _“We’re home silly. Where else would we be?”  
  
  
_ _“Home?”  
  
  
_ _“Yes...are you okay?”  
  
  
_ _“No...I don’t think I am,” he said quietly as he began to cry.  
  
  
_ _“What’s wrong? Why are you so upset?”  
  
  
_ _“You’re...you’re not really here...and I..I know that and it hurts..it hurts so much.”  
  
  
_ _“If I wasn’t really here would I be able to do this,” she said as she leaned in and kissed him gently. The intensity of the kiss quickly changed once Vegeta grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her face even closer to him to deepen the kiss as much as possible. Instead of feeling better, he just felt worse. He pulled away from her and tried to catch his breath.  
  
  
_ _“Why...why did you leave me?”  
  
  
_ _“You know why.“  
  
  
_ _“No I don’t. I was going to go with you. I wasn't going to go back to that tower. The moment I took your hand for the first time I knew things would never be the same.”  
  
  
_ _“Where would we have gone?”  
  
  
_ _“I don’t know! I don’t care!" Vegeta's temper started to rise. "I would have followed you anywhere! Anywhere! Hell, I’d go back to the wretched cave if it meant we’d be together!”  
  
  
_ _“You know we can’t be together.”  
  
  
_ _“Why? Tell me why?”  
  
  
_ _“Goodbye Vegeta,” Bulma said sadly as she rolled out of the bed.  
  
  
_ _“No! Don’t go! Don’t leave!” he yelled and reached out to stop her but she was already out of his reach._

* * *

With a gasp, Vegeta woke up. His cheeks were wet from the tears that had fallen while he slept. The pain throughout his body made it impossible for him to stand and his head felt like it was going to explode. His entire face felt bruised and broken, not to mention the concussion he was sure he had before he blacked out. He could only see through one eye which meant the other was swollen shut.   
  
  
Vegeta knew where he was the moment he had woken up. He was on his bed in his room in the tower. He felt like he was suffocating as the events that took place prior to blacking out hit him all at once. The dragon, Bulma leaving, the Saiyans on the beach, the beating, and Frieza. His window was boarded shut to prevent him from seeing not only the moon, but the sun as well. Frieza didn’t want him to heal. He wanted him to suffer through the physical pain he was in. For a moment he thought maybe everything was a dream, a really good dream. But When he looked down he noticed he was still wearing the clothes Kakarot had purchased him and could feel the chain Bulma had given him around his neck.   
  
  
Frieza was still in the tower with him, he could hear him in the other room. Quietly he stood up as best as he could and made his way to the window, trying to get a good gauge on what time it was and how long he had been unconscious. The sun was about to set, he had slept almost an entire day. Frieza walked into his room the moment he sat back down on the bed. Vegeta didn’t bother acknowledging him. Instead, he kept his back to him and stared at the boarded up window.  
  
  
“Good morning Vegeta! Well...good evening is more like it! You must have been exhausted after the beating you received, exhausted and embarrassed. After all the ‘training’ you’ve done you weren’t even strong enough to defend yourself from those men that tried to take your tail. I told you time and time again that would happen if you left this tower but of course, like the disobedient little monkey you are, you still defied me.”  
  
  
Vegeta could tell Frieza was getting angrier as he spoke. The change in the tone of his voice made it evident.  
  
  
“Not only were you too weak to defend yourself, but you let that weak woman worm her way into your mind. Did you really think she would be interested in you? That she would ‘like' you? Why would anyone like you? You’re pathetic. If it hadn’t been for me you’d be powerless, tailless, and dead in the woods. Your parents threw you away like the trash you are. Out of the kindness of my heart I saved you, and you repay me with disobedience and disrespect,” Frieza said before he laughed. He could tell Vegetas shoulders were hunched over in defeat. His elbows rested on his knees and his head was in his hands. Frieza stared at the broken young man with glee, knowing he had finally succeeded in breaking him, and bending him to his will.  
  
  
"Well monkey, what do you have to say for yourself?” Frieza snapped as he walked further into Vegeta’s room until he was standing right in front of him.  
  
  
“You’re right father. You were right about everything. I apologize,” he mumbled without looking up. Frieza stared at him in silence for a couple of seconds before grabbing a handful of his hair, and lifting his head, forcing Vegeta to look at him. They stared into each others eyes for a few tense moments. Frieza could see the dejected and defeated look in his red and slightly puffy eye. Only one was able to actually stare back at him while the other was bruised and swollen shut.   
  
  
He raised his hand back. Vegeta knew what was coming and closed his unswollen eye a second before Frieza slapped him hard across the face. The pain was much worse than it should have been for a simple slap to the face. When he first woke up he thought the throbbing pain in his cheek was due to bruising but he knew now that his cheekbone was actually broken, amplifying the pain caused by Frieza’s hand.   
  
  
“Pathetic.”   
  
  
Frieza released Vegeta and shoved him away forcefully before walking out of the room. Vegeta put his head back in his hands, elbows on his knees, and sighed. Turning to lay back down on the bed he noticed his sketchpad open on the table next to his bed. Looking over his shoulder he glanced at the door, making sure Frieza was no longer nearby. Slowly he pulled the pendant and chain out from under his shirt and held it in his hand.  
  
  
The symbol he had drawn weeks ago was the same symbol on the chain Bulma had given him. Before visiting the capital he had never seen the symbol in his life but he had seen it in his dreams. At the time he hadn't realized they were one in the same and now that he did, there was no one around to help him make sense of it.  
 _  
_  
He stood up and practically threw himself into his closet where he had stacks and stacks of old sketchbooks. He grabbed the oldest one he could find and went through the pages. The symbol was everywhere, in every book he opened.  
  
  
He began pacing back and forth in his room, trying to figure out why he has been drawing the same symbol since the moment he was able to draw. A symbol he had never seen until a day ago, the royal family crest. He glanced at himself as he paced in front of his mirror and paused. He stood there and stared at himself, as if the answer to all of his questions would suddenly jump out at him, which in a way they did. He thought back to the day he met Bulma, when he put the crown on his head and how right it looked. Then he slowly raised his hand to his forehead and brushed his bangs back, holding them up and away from his forehead.   
  
  
The truth smacked him in the face so hard he stumbled backwards until his legs hit the end of his bed. Gasping for air, without thinking it through, he left his room to confront Frieza.  
  


* * *

When Vegeta entered the room, Frieza was staring out the tower window with his hands clasped behind his back.  
  
  
“I’m the lost Prince,” Vegeta said almost inaudibly as he was still coming to grips with the truth he uncovered. His sketchbook was still in his hand, as if he needed proof to show Frieza. He had tucked his chain back under his shirt, knowing that if Frieza saw it he would destroy it. It was the only physical reminder of Bulma he had and he didn't intend to lose it, even if Bulma had betrayed him.   
  
  
“What was that monkey? I despise it when you mumble.”  
  
  
“I said I’m the lost prince!” Vegeta said angrily through gritted teeth. Frieza tried to act unaffected by Vegeta’s statement but the fleeting look on his face told Vegeta he was right. “I’m right aren’t I f _ather?_ ” disgust and hatred dripping from the word.   
  
  
“Really Vegeta, does your ignorance know no bounds?”  
  
  
Vegeta’s sketchpad landed open at Frieza’s feet after he threw it at him from across the room.   
  
  
“I’ve been drawing that fucking symbol my entire life and had no idea why. Now I know. It’s the royal crest. MY crest. My FAMILY crest. You may have beaten the shit out of me my entire life but apparently you didn’t beat the royalty out of my blood. Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out? DID YOU?” he yelled, fists clenched at his sides.  
  
  
Frieza slowly made his way from the window to the bottom of the stairs where Vegeta stood. The sun was setting which meant Vegeta only needed to wait an hour before he could heal himself.  
  
  
“If it wasn’t for that blue haired bitch, Bulma correct? If it wasn’t for her you would have lived the rest of your useless life in this tower. It only took you eighteen years to figure it out. You really think you would have figured it out on your own? You give yourself too much credit.”  
  
  
“Don't talk about her! You don't even deserve to say her name!” Vegeta seethed as he pushed past Frieza, towards the set of stairs that led to the door of the tower.  
  
  
“Where do you think you’re going? You have no where to go and no one to help you,” Frieza said while laughing.   
  
  
“That’s not true!”   
  
  
“You’re still going on about the woman? The woman that pretended to have feelings for you just to get what she wanted? The one that abandoned you the first chance she got?”  
  
  
“That’s...that’s not what happened! She said she wouldn’t leave me! Something happened to her, I know it! She wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye. She is my mate!” he tried to say with confidence.   
  


“You still think that woman is waiting around for you? Stealing a crown from the king and queen is not going unpunished. Her body will be swinging from a beam after they hang her for what she’s done. You’ll never get to her in time, even if you could find your way back on your own.”  
  
  
“N-n-no," Vegeta whispered.   
  
  
“Yes,” Frieza said while chuckling. “If you’re quite done with your temper tantrum we-”  
  
  
“There is no WE! Even...even if she is gone...I am not staying here! I’m not wasting another minute in this shit hole with _you!_ I will NEVER let you use me for my powers again!” he yelled as he continue to descend down the stairs. Before he could react, Frieza grabbed him by the neck and threw him across the room. His body skid to a stop right below the window.  
  
The moon was barely visible in the cloudy night sky when Vegeta looked up. His tail began to glow and his wounds healed on their own. Before he was completely done healing, Frieza grabbed him by the tail, immobilizing him. Screaming as the pain shot through his body, Vegeta collapsed. Frieza roughly drug him away from the window by his tail.  
  
  
“You’re more trouble than you’re worth! I should have done this a long time ago!” Frieza yelled as he brought his fist down to the side of Vegeta’s head over and over until once again, he blacked out.  
  


* * *

The palace dungeon was not as she imagined it. She pictured a dark and cold room, carved out of rock, deep underneath the palace. The only way out being a large door with thick metal bars. That image was only partially right. The dungeon was not dark and eerie. It was a bit cold but that’s to be expected considering the weather outside. There was a small barred window towards the top of one of the cell walls, providing her with fresh air and a glimpse of the outside world.   
  
  
She was too short to properly look out of the window, even when she stood on her toes. However, it did give her a glimpse of the sky which indicated what time of the day it was and how much time had passed since she was arrested. Bulma was a lot of things, but a coward was not one of them. She can only count the number of times she was truly terrified on one hand. Two of those times had taken place in the last 48 hours. One was when she thought Vegeta had drowned, and the second was when Turles and Nappa told her they were after him.  
  


There was no telling whether or not they caught him, whether or not he fought back. She knew him well enough to know he would never run from a fight which meant he would have tried to go toe to toe with both of the extremely large men. She knew he wasn’t dead since they were after him for his tail. Nappa and Turles were idiots but she didn’t think even they were that dumb.  
  
  
That should have made her feel a little bit better about the situation but it didn’t. Vegeta was gone and even if she got out of her cell there was no telling where he was now. There was no way to know where Turles and Nappa would have taken him. Not only that but he thought she abandoned him. She had told him she wouldn’t leave him and even though she was going to have to turn herself in, he had known it wouldn’t be by choice.   
  
  
_Did Nappa and Turles make sure he watched me sail away after tying me up? Does he think I abandoned him? Where is he? What are they doing to him? Does he hate me now? Dear god he must think I used him and left him. He probably thinks I got what I wanted and left. I need to find a way out and I need to find him. Even if I come back here after, I can live with that. I can’t stand knowing he thinks I used him and left him. Maybe...maybe Kakarot can help! Kakarot can find him! But how do I get Kakarot down here without anyone finding out we know each other? THINK BULMA!  
  
  
_ Her internal monologue was interrupted when she heard a commotion coming from the end of the cell block. She began pacing back and forth in her cell once she realized she couldn’t see what the cause of the commotion was. Every so often she would glance out the small window, as if someone was planning on coming to her rescue.  
  
  
“Hello beautiful.”   
  
  
Her head quickly jerked back to the cell door. Raditz was standing in front of her, twirling the cell key around his finger, legs crossed and leaning against the the cell bars with a mischievous smirk on his face.  
  
  
“Raditz! Oh my god! What are you doing here?”  
  
  
“I’m here to rescue you, idiot,” he said while unlocking the cell door.  
  
  
“How did you find me? How did you get the key?” Bulma was practically bouncing on her heels impatiently, glancing down the hall.  
  
  
“Kakarot came to Kame House. He said you guys were in trouble and needed help. He couldn’t help you escape for obvious reasons but knew we aren't exactly against breaking the law. He’s waiting outside for you. We’ll keep the guards busy, you get out of here as fast as you can and find Vegeta.”   
  
  
Once the door was unlocked, Raditz grabbed Bulma by the arm and nearly drug her out of the cell. Before they could leave the dungeon, she heard the familiar voices of the two Saiyans that were responsible for her current predicament. Nappa and Turles were holding onto the bars, begging for Raditz to let them out as well. Bulma lunged at the cell bars and grabbed Turles by his hair. She slammed his face into the bars before he had a chance to react and grabbed the knife Raditz had holstered on the belt around his waist. When Nappa tried to grab Bulma through the bars, Raditz punched him in the face, knocking him backwards.  
  
  
“Bulma I don’t know who these assholes are but we gotta go now!”  
  
  
“WHERE IS VEGETA?! HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!” Bulma screamed in Turles face before pulling his hair hard enough to make him wince and putting Raditz's knife against his throat. Saiyan or not, he wasn't impervious to stab wounds and saying the wrong thing could result in his throat being cut. In the past he may have thought Bulma wasn't capable of such violence but seeing the look in her eyes told him he thought wrong.  
  
  
“It..it was the Acrosian, Frieza. He told us about his powers! The kid came looking for you after we tied you to the boat and the two of us were able to over power him. We took him into the trees so he couldn't see the moon and knocked him a round a little.”  
  
  
"Knocked him around a little? Like this?"  
  
  
Bulma pulled Turles head back once more and slammed his face into the cell bars. After the second hit, his nose began bleeding profusely. Even Raditz winced at the crunching sound his nose made when it hit the bars.  
  
  
“Where is he?” Bulma said through gritted teeth in a low tone. The calm deadly tone scared Raditz more than her yelling did. He knew if she was as strong as a Saiyan she would have easily killed the two men in the cell by now.  
  
  
“Frieza attacked us from behind while we were distracted with the boy. He’s stronger than he looks! He knocked us out and then we woke up here... That’s it! That's the truth! I swear that's everything that happened! We don’t know what happened to kid after that!”  
  
  
 _Frieza? Why does that name sound famili-- his father! Vegeta said his father’s name is Frieza. He’s back in the tower!  
  
  
_ She released Turles and ran towards the dungeon doors once she had her answer. Somehow Raditz knew his way around the lower part of the palace and the dungeon, making their escape quicker than she had anticipated.   
  
  
_Kakarot must have planned all this. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay him for everything he has done.  
  
  
_ They turned a corner into a courtyard that was currently being used as an impromptu fighting pit. The guys she had met at Kame House were taking on groups of palace guards and holding their own. Even the tavern owner Roshi was there and doing extremely well for an old man.  
  
  
“What the..."  
  
  
“What? You think I came alone? You give me too much credit doll. Let’s go!”   
  
  
Raditz grabbed BUlma by her hand and the two made their way through the courtyard, pausing every now and then to assist one of the Kame House guys. They climbed a set of stone steps that lead from the courtyard to the top of the surrounding wall. On the other side of the wall was the beach and dock. Bulma was about to turn around and ask Raditz where they were supposed to go but before she could ask, Raditz grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her onto the wall.  
  
  
“What the hell are you doing!?” she yelled, slightly terrified. Raditz ignored her and strapped her into safety harness used to repair aging and damaged stones on the side of the wall. The fall would be the equivalent of falling from Vegeta’s tower. There was no chance she would survive.  
  
  
“Chillax! Kakarot is down there waiting for you!”  
  
  
“Well that’s fucking fantastic Raditz but how in the hell do you expect me-” the color drained from her face once she realized what he was suggesting. The smirk on his face was back and cockier than ever.   
  
  
“YOU’VE LOST YOUR DAMN MIND!”   
  
  
Raditz opened his mouth to respond when the doors to the courtyard burst open and dozens of palace guards flooded in, surrounding Raditz’s accomplices. He turned back to look at her as if telling her it’s now or never.  
  
  
“YOU’RE INSANE! THERE’S NO WAY I’M- AHHHH!!” Bulma screamed at the top of her lungs when Raditz pushed her off the wall.  
  
  
Instead of pushing her straight out, he pushed her to the side, angling her so she wouldn't fall straight down. She squeezed her eyes closed so tightly, she thought they may bleed. Within seconds the air was knocked out of her as someone stopped her fall.   
  
  
“Oompf” was all she heard before she opened her eyes. Kakarot was holding onto her with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. He was wearing a dark hooded sweater to hide his wild black hair from any possible onlookers.   
  
  
“HI BULMA!" Kakarot practically yelled, "I’m so glad you’re okay!”   
  
  
He sat her down on her feet and took off her harness. Looking down Bulma could see why Raditz hadn’t pushed her straight off the wall. She had fallen towards the rooftop of one of the lower palace towers. She was still high in the air but not nearly as high as before. Kakarot had caught her halfway between the ground and the courtyard wall.   
  
  
She glanced up to see Raditz smiling and waving at her as he was surrounded by palace guards. Two of the guards looked down to see where he had waved and started yelling to the other guards while pointing down at them.   
  
  
“Shit” she said under her breath.  
  
  
“Yeah it’s time to go!” He scooped her back up and threw her on his back, forcing her to wrap her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck as he ran towards the end of the roof they were on.  
  
  
“Kakarot put me down! I can run on my own!”  
  
  
“Yeah but...no offense Bulma, I’m a lot faster and stronger than you. It will be a lot easier for me to jump to the other rooftops with you on my back.   
  
  
“FOR YOU TO WHAT?” she shrieked as Kakarot jumped off the edge of the rooftop they were on, landing on a lower one across from them.  
  
  
If he had been human she would have unintentionally choked him to death.   
  
  
“Vegeta’s in trouble right? I heard you yelling when they arrested you. I knew I couldn’t help you on my own so I went and found Raditz and he rounded up the other guys. What happened to Vegeta? Is he okay? Do you know where he’s at?” Kakarot asked, winded as he continued to run.  
  
  
“He’s in trouble. I don’t think he’s okay and yes I think I know where he’s at. You remember how I told you he had never left home? I’ll explain as best as I can on our way but we need to get back to the tavern as fast as we can. The tower isn’t too far from there.”  
  
  
“Tower?” Kakarot asked as they finally touched down on the beach. They ran towards a small dock where he had a small rowboat waiting for them. He helped Bulma in before jumping in himself and rowed faster than she thought someone was capable of.  
  
  
“Yes, a tower. I’ll explain everything.”

* * *

  
  
They made it to the tavern in record time. Once there, Kakarot followed Bulma to the crack in the boulders that opened into the tunnel leading to Vegeta’s tower.   
  
  
“It’s through here,” Bulma said, winded and crouching down ready to crawl through the opening.  
  
  
“You go Bulma. I’ll try and throw the other guards off their trail.”   
  
  
Kakarot looked around and scanned the area, trying to gauge of how much time they had before the guards caught up to them.  
  
  
“No! If you stay they’ll arrest you! They’ll know you helped me!”  
  
  
“Probably,” he said with a shrug and a small smile. “I’ll figure something out. We can’t let that Freezer guy lock away Vegeta. He’s my friend and..your mate. We have to save him.”  
  
  
He had a very determined look on his face which indicated the topic was no longer up for discussion. Bulma’s eyes began to water, knowing it was very possible she wouldn’t see him again.   
  
  
Bulma threw her arms around his neck to hug him tightly. “You’re a really good friend. My best friend. Thank you for everything,” she said to him before kissing him on the cheek.   
  
  
The kiss made him blush but acknowledging him as her best friend was something he hadn’t expected. He tightly hugged her back before releasing her and nudging her towards the tunnel.  
  
  
“Go! Hurry! I’ll see you guys again. I know I will!”   
  
  
Before she could respond, Kakarot was gone. Seconds later she could hear guards approaching and quickly. She crawled through the tunnel and rolled into the clearing. The sun was already down, making the clearing creepier than it already was. She shivered as she ran at full speed towards the tower.  
  
  
“Vegeta!?”  
  
  
“VEGETA!?” she screamed, hoping she would see the silhouette of his flame shaped hair peek out of the window.   
  
  
After getting no response she started to back away, thinking the tower was empty and Frieza had taken him somewhere else.   
  
  
“BULMA! N-” she heard Vegeta yell as she was turning her back on the tower.  
  
  
“Vegeta! I’m coming!”   
  
  
Climbing the tower was hard during the day but at night with only the moon as her source of light, it was nearly impossible. She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest every time her foot slippedn which happened multiple times. She was sweating and shaking the entire time she climbed. She wasn’t sure if it was due to fear, exertion, or excitement. After what felt like hours she made it to the top of the tower. With the last bit of adrenaline she still had, she heaved herself up to the window and into the tower.  
  
  
“Vegeta!” she yelled before she even fully climbed into the tower. The instant her feet touched the ground she saw him, gagged and chained. He was in the fetal position just out of reach of the moon. His hands and feet were chained together. Bulma took a step closer to him and saw how badly beaten he was. Her eyes started to water at the sight of him. Before she could take another step Vegeta yanked at the chains and yelled a muffled “NO!” through his gag. With his eyes and chin he motioned for her to look behind her.  
  
  
As Bulma turned to look in that direction she felt a sharp burning pain in her stomach. Looking down in shock she saw a knife protruding from her abdomen. The man she assumed was Frieza still had his hand on the handle. She looked at the knife then up at his smiling face. The smile didn't leave his face as he twisted the knife a little before pulling it out and dropping it to the ground. Bulma dropped to her knees and applied pressure to the now bleeding stab wound in her abdomen.  
  
  
She could hear the chains around Vegeta thrashing against the ground and the sound of his muffled screams. Lifting her head she made eye contact with him. His eyes were glossed over with unshed tears, a look of pure horror and anguish on his face. She closed her eyes and sat back against one of the towers support beams. Frieza had grabbed Vegeta’s chains and began dragging him towards the stairway that led to the tower’s only door.  
  
  
Somehow, he managed to get the gag out of his mouth while he thrashed around.   
  
  
“Really Vegeta, why are you struggling so much? We both know I’m stronger than you. Especially after the beating I gave you earlier. You’re starting to annoy me and we both know what happens when I am annoyed. I suggest you stop fighting me at once!”  
  
  
“No! I will fight you every fucking day for the rest of my miserable life. Even if it kills me. Unless you let me heal her...please.” He added the 'please' as an after thought. The word tasted bitter in his mouth.  
  
  
“Vegeta no!” Bulma coughed out as her wound continued to bleed.   
  
  
“I won’t fight you anymore. I’ll do whatever you say, whenever you say it. I’ll go wherever you want. I won’t try and escape again. Just let me heal her. I’m begging you Frieza. Please.”   
  
  
Bulma glanced around the room, hoping to find anything that could possibly help them get out of there alive. The knife she had been stabbed with was on the ground in front of her, just out of arms reach. With her foot she brought the knife up to her side and slid it under her thigh, near her free hand.  
  
  
“Fine monkey. I’ll let you heal her. Consider this a favor, a favor I intend to collect on. We will be leaving right afterwards. I suggest you say your goodbyes.”  
  
  
Frieza drug him a little closer to Bulma and unchained him. He crawled next to her and gathered her in his arms, frantically looking out the window. Before the sun had set, the sky had been covered in dark grey storm clouds, occasionally blocking the sun and now the moon. Every so often there would be a break in the clouds, allowing a glimpse of light to peak through. At the moment, the clouds were working against them.  
  
  
“Fuck! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Woman...hang...hang on,” Vegeta said as he placed his hand on hers, hoping to stop the bleeding somehow. He continued to alternate between looking at the window and looking at her face. His tail gently wrapped around her waist like it usually did.  
  
  
“Vegeta..."  
  
  
“Shh. For once just...just be quiet."   
  
  
He was trying to tell her to shut up as kindly as possible. Which didn’t escape Bulma’s notice, making her smirk.  
  
  
“Listen...idiot...I didn’t leave you...the Saiyans...they-"  
  
  
“I know. I know. I knew you wouldn’t-” he was trying to hold back his tears. He didn’t want to look weak but the more blood he saw, the harder it was. She was bleeding out and if the clouds didn’t clear soon, he wouldn’t be able to save her.  
  
  
“Tsk tsk. Poor Vegeta. Looks like your little mate isn’t going to make it. It seems the weather is not on your side,” Frieza said while chuckling.  
  
  
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” he yelled as he ran his fingers through Bulma's hair with the hand not covered in blood.   
  
  
“Vegeta...you can't do this.”  
  
  
“And you can’t die."  
  
  
“But you’ll die...you’ll die alone and in another tower...another prison...you can’t” Bulma gasped out.  
  
  
“Bulma, it’s okay,” he whispered to her as he cupped her cheek.  
  
  
“Vegeta," Bulma whispered.  
  
  
Using her free hand she pulled him close to her. He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close while the other hand remained on her abdomen. He buried his head into her neck and quietly started to cry. Had she not felt her shoulder dampen and felt his body shake she would have never known. Once he had her in his arms and she was sure he was distracted, she stopped applying pressure to her abdomen and used that hand to pull the knife out from under her thigh.   
  
  
With the last of her strength she reached for his tail with the knife in her hand, and swung it down with all her strength, cutting off Vegeta’s tail. He screamed in pain and released her before grabbing the now bleeding wound where his tail used to be.  
  
  
“Woman...what...what did-” he tried to ask but was gasping from the pain.  
  
  
His tail rolled in front of the window and into the the small amount of light that was peaking through the clouds, turning gold momentarily. Frieza was enraged. He ran towards the window and grabbed Vegeta’s severed tail as the glowing slowly faded and the tail turned back to it’s regular dark color.  
  
  
“YOU BITCH! WHAT DID YOU DO!” Frieza yelled, practically foaming at the mouth as he lunged at Bulma. Vegeta jumped in between the two and knocked him back before he could reach her. They both got into fighting stances and lunged at each other. Freiza managed to knee Vegeta in the stomach, knocking him to his knees. Leaning down, he grabbed Vegeta by the throat. Before he could tighten his grasp, Vegeta punched him straight in the nose, breaking it and knocking him back a couple of steps.  
  
  
“Vegeta,” Bulma said weakly as she slid the knife to him. He grabbed it as Frieza rounded on him once more. As Frieza pulled his fist back to strike him again, Vegeta lunged forward and shoved the knife into Frieza's throat. His eyes widened and his hands flew to the now gushing wound on his neck. Stumbling backwards towards the window, he gave Vegeta the opening he was waiting for. He lifted his leg and kicked him as hard as he could through the tower window. He heard Frieza’s screams abruptly stop when his body hit the ground. He knew once and for all, Frieza was dead and he was free. Without bothering to revel in his new sense of freedom, without bother to look out the window, Vegeta hurried back to Bulma's side.  
  
  
“Woman why...why did you do that...why did you-” he choked out as he began to cry again. All of the color had drained from Bulma’s face. He knew she was dying and now he had no way to save her. He scooped her up, cradling her in his arms once more, and inched them closer to the window. Hoping and praying the entire time that he somehow still had his powers.   
  
  
“Shh. You’re okay. You’ll be fine."  
  
  
“Vegeta..."  
  
  
“No! You can’t leave me. You can’t! You said you wouldn’t! You’re my mate you can’t die!” he cried. His chin was resting on his chest as he rocked her back and forth. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut.  
  
  
“Vegeta..." she said once more, placing his chin in her hand, forcing him to look up at her.  
  
  
“I would have followed you anywhere,” she mumbled.   
  
  
“You were my new dream,” he choked out in between sobs. Her hand slowly released his chin and fell limply to her side.  
  
  
“No! Woman...Bulma! Please! Stay with me!" he cried. She had stopped moving, he could no longer hear her heart beating, and her skin was slowly losing it’s warmth. He sat with her cradled in his arms, staring at her, hoping she would open her eyes. His sobs slowly died down but the tears didn’t stop falling.  
  
  
Moonlight slowly started to creep through the window as the clouds started to clear. Tears trickled onto her cheeks after he leaned over her and pressed his forehead to hers. “Please...please Bulma...your mine...don’t leave me...I need you," he whispered as pressed his lips gently against hers, and closed his eyes.  
  
  
He felt a wave of warmth start in his toes and slowly make its way up his body. Confused, he slowly opened his eyes and pulled his head back quickly. Waves of golden light were flowing out of Bulma’s wound and swirling around the rest of her body.   
  
  
His eyes widened as he sat back and watched the wound in Bulma’s abdomen began to heal itself as the light swirled around her. When it slowly faded, he lifted her up until she was sitting in his lap with her head resting in the crook of his neck. Pulling her close to his chest, he nuzzled into her hair.  
  
  
"Please wake up," he whispered against her hair.  
  
  
Before she opened her eyes she felt Vegeta’s hot body pressed against hers tightly. She slowly opened them to see a full head of blonde hair. She was about to panic, wondering who the hell was holding her so tightly when she heard him mumbling into her neck, begging her to wake up. Slowly, she raised one of her hands and ran it through his hair. He gasped and pulled away from her, his hair instantly went back to black.  
  
  
“B-B-Bulma?” he asked as his bottom lip began to quiver.  
  
  
“I miss your tail already,” she said with a fake pout.  
  
  
He made a noise that was a mix between a laugh and a sob, pulling her even tighter against his chest. Before she had the chance to speak, he crashed his lips against hers so hard she was sure her lips would be bruised. His hand went to her cheek as he began to pepper her face with kisses before going back to her lips, licking the bottom one in a silent plea for her to open her mouth for him.  
  
  
She giggled but obliged. He instantly deepened the kiss, his mouth never leaving hers until they both needed air. They rested their foreheads against one another while trying to catch their breaths. Vegeta wanted to get the hell out of the tower but he also wanted to strip her down and have his way with her. He needed her close to him, needed to feel the warmth of her skin against his.  
  
  
“Woman, you’re my mate. Never leave me again.”  
  
  
“Never.”  
  
  
He was about to lean into kiss her again when they heard voices from outside of the tower. They paused and looked at each other, as if one of them had an explanation to their unasked question.  
  
  
“Yo Bulma! Vegeta! Is this that Freezer guy? Cuz He’s like...really dead. Are you guys okay up there?” Kakarot yelled from the ground.  
  
  
“UGHH,” Vegeta groaned.   
  
  
Bulma laughed and shook her head at him. The sound was music to Vegeta's ears. He was afraid he was never going to hear that sound again. It instantly soothed the irritation Kakarot had caused. Once she stood up, she leaned her head out of the tower window to look down at her best friend.  
  
  
“Yeah Kakarot we’re up here and we’re fine. We’ll be down in a minute!”  
  
  
“Shit," Bulma mumbled as she turned away from the window.  
  
  
“What is it woman?” Vegeta asked as he stood up and walked up to her.  
  
  
“Well, we need to come up with a plan. I’m probably more wanted now then I was when we met. Not to mention Kakarot rounded Raditz and the guys from Kame House to bust me out out of my cell so I could find you. They're definitely in the dungeon right now. Ugh I couldn't have done this without them but there's no way I'll be able to break them out.”  
  
  
“Oh. That’s all? Let’s go back to the palace. We’ll make sure they’re released.”  
  
  
Bulma snorted. “Yeah okay Vegeta. We’ll just walk in there and demand they release a handful of the guys that helped a wanted criminal escape?”  
  
  
“Yes. We’re going to walk in there and tell them the Prince of Vegetasei demands they be released,” he said with a shrug.  
  
  
She was shaking her head and chuckling as she began to walk towards the stairs “Yeah okay that shou-” she paused and turned to look at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. “Your-”   
  
  
Instead of answering her, he just smirked and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her deeply before dragging her down the stairs towards the tower door.  
  
  
“Let's go woman. We have a lot to discuss. The sooner I get out of this fucking tower the better.”  
  


* * *

  
The king and queen had just arrived to their personal quarters when Bardock burst through the doors winded with a shocked expression on his face. Without saying a word to each other, the queen and king knew that their son had returned to them. They ran down the palace halls and stopped right outside a set of doors that lead to the throne room. They king paused and took his wife's hand in his before the pushed open the throne room doors together.  
  
  
Standing in front of them was the blue haired thief that had stolen the crown. A young man with gravity defying hair stood with his back to them. Without him turning around, the queen knew it was her son. The blue haired woman signaled for him to look behind him. Without letting go of her hand, he turned around. The queen released the king’s hand and slowly made her way to her son.  
  
  
The bangs he had been born with were longer than before, hiding his widows peak. He was a splitting image of the king aside for his small stature and lack of facial hair. He looked terrified as he stood in front of them, hanging on to the blue haired woman for dear life. She gave his hand a quick squeeze before releasing it, nudging him forward, and taking a step back. He turned to her and gave her a confused look, not understanding why she stepped away from him.  
  
  
The queen took a step closer and cradled his face in her hands. Her eyes welled up with tears, she finally had her son again.   
  
  
“M-m-mother?” he mumbled.  
  
  
The queen choked back a sob and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Her tail unwrapped from her waist and tightly held on to him. He kept his arms to his sides, not knowing whether or not he should hug her back. A lump began forming in his throat while his mother clung to him. Finally he relaxed, closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around her. His father’s eyes were also welling with tears as he approached them. Chuckling he wrapped his arms around both his wife and his son.  
  
  
Vegeta was extremely uncomfortable but in a good way. The only thing that was missing was his woman who was standing awkwardly a few feet away from him. The queen kept one arm around Vegeta’s waist but held the other one out to Bulma, as if to shake her hand. She hesitantly took the queen's hand in hers but before she could shake it the queen yanked her into her arms to join their group hug. She let out a small squeak as she crashed into Vegeta and his Mother.   
  
  
“Thank you” the queen whispered into her ear. After eighteen years their family was finally together again.


	8. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

_See! I told you guys it wasn’t a sad story. Yeah some shitty stuff happened but shitty stuff happens to all of us doesn’t it? I’ve learned things tend to work out eventually. ‘It’s always darkest before the dawn’. Isn’t that a saying or something? I'm rambling. You guys wanna know how our story ends, not to hear abou --  
  
  
_ “Woman! Where are you?”  
  
  
“I’m busy Vegeta! Gimme like five minutes!”  
  
  
 _So there was this HUGE party. Everyone was overjoyed to finally have their lost prince back. I hear the party was one that would be remembered for decades but I honeslty can't remember most of it. Raditz and I-_

 _  
_“I demand you reveal yourself immediately!”  
  
  
“Go away!”  
  
  
“Momma, where are you? Papa where is she?”  
  
  
“Woman! Your child requests your presence!”  
  
  
“ _OUR_ child not just mine! Trunks keep your Papa busy for five more minutes! I’ll...I’ll give you three _big_ cookies.”  
  
  
“THREE!?”  
  
  
“Do not bribe _our_ son with sweets!   
  
  
_I swear I can’t get a minute to myself anymore! Anyways, after we saved Vegeta, everyone that helped rescue him was rewarded handsomely. A lot of people had their own dreams come true. The king and queen were eager to show their gratitude for their help in any way possible...as long as their dreams were realistic. Roshi wanted his own harem. The queen wasn’t to keen on making that particular perverted dream come true.  
  
  
_ _Kakarot made Chi-Chi his mate, officially. The king was so happy with everything Kakarot had done to help Vegeta that they made him Captain of the City Guard. His father Bardock was in charge of keeping the palace safe and Kakarot was in charge of keeping the kingdom safe. Needless to say, crime has basically become non-existent. He had some help though.  
  
  
_ “Uncle Raditz!”  
  
  
“Hey squirt! Why does your Papa look like his head is gonna explode?”  
  
  
“Momma’s hiding from us. She told me if I keep him busy I’d get three whole cookies. Soooo...I took his crown and hid it. He’s gotta have it before he meets with Grandpa so he’s lookin for it."  
  
  
“Kid, you’re as bad as your momma is. Your papa is losing his sh-”  
  
  
“LANGUAGE RADITZ!”   
  
  
“Sorry dollface," Raditz said loudly, unsure where exactly Bulma was at. "He’s gonna lose his mind kid. I wouldn’t want to be you when he finally finds it.”  
  
  
“I’m not scared. momma and gramma will protect me.”  
  
  
“Hel- heck yes they will! No one is tougher than the princess and the queen. Your Papa will never admit it but your momma scares the crap out of him. . honestly your momma scares a lot of people...especially when she’s mad.”  
  
  
 _Raditz was given a position at the palace. He has the honor of being my own personal bodyguard. At least I personally think it’s an honor. Whether he'll admit it or not, I know he enjoys my company. The pay and the new digs aren’t too bad either.  
  
  
_ _Krillin and Piccolo joined the City Guard with Kakarot. Not too long after that, Krillin met his now wife, Eighteen. Someone tried to mug her and Krillin happened to be nearby. Not that she needed help though. Actually, by the time Krillin got there, the mugger was the one that needed help. Eighteen is a badass.  
  
  
_ _Piccolo is happy, I think. I mean he hasn’t said otherwise. Yamcha decided to stay with Roshi and help him out with the tavern. We still visit every now and then. Well I sneak out and visit anyways. Then Vegeta freaks out and comes after me.  
  
  
_ “Boy! You better tell me where my crown is this instant!”  
  
  
“No way Papa. I want three cookies!”  
  
  
“I’ll give you...five! Five damn cookies!”  
  
  
“FIVE? Really Papa?”  
  
  
“Yes brat now give it to me!”  
  
  
 _God that kid is going to be on a sugar high for the rest of the week. ANYWAYS. Vegeta was finally home and he had a reall family. The family he deserved, the one he should have had all along. He was the prince everyone hoped he would be and more. Everyone adored him, despite his grumpy exterior. They all know when it's time for him to rule, he'll do it with grace and wisdom, just like his parents.  
  
  
_ _I’m sure what you’re REALLY dying to know about is me right? Well I stopped stealing for one. The outlaw life is a little difficult when your mate is the prince of basically everything. The people's reaction to finding_ _out the most wanted woman in the kingdom was now their new princess wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  
  
  
_ “I FOUND YOU!”  
  
  
“AHHHH! What the hell Vegeta!?”  
  
  
“Why are you hiding from me and our son? And why are you talking to yourself? What are you up to woman?”  
  
  
“If you must know...I was telling our story."  
  
  
“To who? There’s no one else in the room with you princess.”  
  
  
“Don’t worry about it. I’d be done already if you would leave me the hell alone for two minutes.”  
  
  
“Hmmpf. So you’re insane and hiding to tell _our_ story to an empty room? What part of our story?”  
  
  
“Well I started with your birth and ended when I rescued you. Well, we rescued each other.”  
  
  
“How much of our story did you tell? How...how detailed were you?”  
  
  
“Oh I was _very_ detailed handsome. I didn’t skip a damn thing. The shower scene was-”  
  
  
“Y-y-ou...you vulgar woman!” His cheeks were red all the way up to the tip of his ears.  
  
  
“SHH! Where were we. Ah yes. They wanna know how _my_ story ends. Well a certain prince popped the question the second they put the crown (the one I stole) on his head. He kept asking and asking and asking and _asking._ I said yes just to shut him up.”  
  
  
“That is not true! You-”  
  
  
“SO, how do all fairy tales end Vegeta? What's the last line in every story?"  
  
  
"Tch"  
  
  
"C’mon my prince, the sooner you say it, the sooner story time ends."  
  
  
“I refuse.” He crossed his arms and turned up his nose as if the request was beneath him.  
  
  
“I promise I’ll do that thing you like, ya know when I put your-”  
  
  
“You-lived-happily-ever-after!?!?! Happy?!” Vegeta blurted out so quickly it sounded like one long word.   
  
  
“ _We._ _We_ lived happily ever after and yes, I am happy. Happier than I ever thought was possible.”  
  
  
“Hmmpf. Good."  
  
  
“Now. I believe you have a promise to fulfill woman.”  
  
  
“Yep...I owe a certain little prince a shitload of cookies.”  
  
  
“Wha...what? No! That’s not what I’m talking abou! You said you'd do that thing-”  
  
  
“The end!!”  
  
  
“Woman get back here!”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the ending was everything you hoped for and more!


End file.
